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10029The ballot was among the demands the Green Party made during talks to join Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern's progressive coalition government after the 2017 election.

Justice Minister Andrew Little said the government had agreed to the timetable, and the result of the referendum would be binding.

"It will be held at the 2020 general election," he told reporters, adding "there is a bit of detail still to work through."

Ardern's government has already moved to legalise medicinal cannabis, with legislation on the issue working its way through parliament.

An opinion poll last year found 65 percent of New Zealanders also supported legalising the drug for recreational use.

Pro-reform campaign group New Zealand Drug Foundation welcomed the vote, with its chief Ross Bell saying the current approach to regulating marijuana was outdated and it was time for a change.

"Cannabis is New Zealand's most common illegal drug, 50 percent of the country have tried it," he said.

"We're still trying to address the problem through a law enforcement approach. We're still criminalising people and not providing help to people who have a cannabis dependency."

The conservative National Party opposition leader Simon Bridges said he would be voting against legalisation and accused the government of trying to deflect voters' attention from issues such as the economy and the rising cost of living.

"I'm pretty cynical that you've got a government here that wants to distract from the core issues of a general election," he said.

Ardern strongly supported legalising medical pot but has not revealed her personal views on recreational marijuana, saying only she does not believe cannabis users should be jailed.

The debate in New Zealand comes as New York governor Andrew Cuomo called Monday for the drug to be made legal for recreational use in his state, including America's most populous city.]]>12/18/2018 9:32:05 AMAs phones’ popularity increases by the day, manufacturers are trying to draw in customers by offering best designs that are futuristic and attention-grabbing immediately. Huawei’s smartphones’ designs have always met consumers’ expectations and aspirations and the Huawei Mate 20 Pro is no different.

First ‘Flowing’ Smartphone Design

When conceptualizing the flowing design, Huawei’s designers attempted to capture the grace of several free-flowing elements of nature. The aerodynamic chassis is curved on all eight sides, Huawei manufactured its parts precisely, adhering to exacting standards and ensuring the components fit tightly and seamlessly together, creating a never before seen all-round comfort experience for every user.

The device is incorporated with symmetrical design elements. The borders and the curved glass arcs are all symmetrically aligned on the central axis of the device. The simplistic and symmetrical design is very aesthetically pleasing.

Distinctive Matrix Camera Arrangement

The Matrix Camera array on the back of the Huawei Mate 20 Pro features a four-point design with three cameras - a 40MP RGB camera, a 20MP camera with Leica Ultra-Wide Angle Lens and an 8MP telephoto camera - and sensor encircled in a polished metal frame, producing an avant-garde look that is both bold and distinct, as well as a 24MP front camera system capable of more secure 3D facial recognition.

The Hyper Optical Pattern on the glass back uses a complex hairline pattern to produce an iridescent effect that is not only highly durable, but also makes the device easy to grip and fingerprint resistant. Smudges are less likely to stick, and the whole thing is easier to clean.

New Colors

The Huawei Mate 20 Pro comes in three colors: Twilight, black and the brand-new Emerald green - featuring a translucent shade of green similar to its namesake gemstone.

Functional Dimensions

The Huawei Mate 20 Pro uses a distinctively different design, 157.8 x 72.3mm and just 8.6mm thick, it’s based around a 6.39in OLED screen that’s gently curved towards the edges, with 3120 x 1440 px resolution and a 19.5:9 aspect ratio. It’s the first smartphone to have a fingerprint reader embedded beneath the screen to achieve better speed and success rates.

With a mesmerizing two-by-two matrix camera arrangement that is instantly recognizable even from afar and streamlined curves on all eight sides, Huawei Mate 20 Pro is a marvel to behold and a pleasure to hold in the hand.

Providing a pioneering technology and delivering on-device Artificial Intelligence, Huawei is shaping the future of smartphones as intelligent tools that understand users and help them develop more meaningful ways to stay connected. As a leading technology company, Huawei invests a significant amount of its annual sales revenue to research and development efforts. In 2017 Huawei has spent US$13.23 billion on R&D, accounting for 14.9 percent of its total revenue.

]]>12/17/2018 11:47:59 AMGray, a 24-year-old Filipino-Australian model, won the title in the Thai capital Bangkok where the pageant included for the first time a transgender contestant.

“My heart is filled with so much gratitude. There were moments of doubt where I felt overwhelmed and I felt the pressure,” said Gray, who wore a red and orange dress that was inspired by Mount Mayon, a volcano that erupted this year.

Gray was asked during the contest about her views on legalizing marijuana and replied that she supported it for medical uses.

After she was crowned, Gray told reporters the question was “definitely relevant” and “an active topic”, in an apparent reference to the war on drugs in the Philippines that has killed thousands of Filipinos and caused international alarm.

Gray said during the pageant that working in a Manila slum had taught her to find beauty in difficult situations.

“If I could teach people to be grateful, we could have an amazing world where negativity could not grow and foster, and children would have a smile on their face,” she said.

Miss South Africa, Tamaryn Green, 24 was the first runner-up, followed by Miss Venezuela, Sthefany Gutiérrez, 19.

Miss Spain, Angela Ponce, 27, made history as the first transgender contestant in the 66-year-old pageant.

Gray is the fourth Filipina to win Miss Universe and the second in three years. The pageant was shown live on the country’s biggest television network and dominated social media.

Philip Colbert updates pop art for the digital age in new show
Salvador Panelo, spokesman for President Rodrigo Duterte, said her win would put the country on the world map for its “beauty and elegance.”

“In her success, Miss Philippines has shown to the world that women in our country have the ability to turn dreams into reality through passion, diligence, determination and hard work,” he said.

The Philippines previously won Miss Universe titles in 2015, 1973 and 1969.

]]>12/17/2018 11:39:10 AMResearchers examined survey data from 2,160 women, ages 45 to 75, who reported at least one symptom after menopause related to what’s known as vulvovaginal atrophy, a common condition that can include symptoms like vaginal dryness, painful intercourse and urinary incontinence.

Overall, women with severe vulvovaginal atrophy symptoms reported a much worse quality of life than women with mild symptoms, researchers report in Menopause.

The results suggest that many women may be needlessly suffering from symptoms they either don’t discuss with their doctor or don’t know it’s possible to treat, said lead study author Dr. Rossella Nappi of the University of Pavia in Italy.

“It is important to give dignity to a set of symptoms that most people believe are trivial, not important, not relevant to be treated,” Nappi said by email. “Some people believe they will go away with time and do not understand the chronic nature of conditions that are not life-threatening but may significantly impact intimacy, self-esteem and body image.”

Women go through menopause when they stop menstruating, typically between ages 45 and 55. As the ovaries curb production of the hormones estrogen and progesterone, women can experience symptoms including vaginal dryness, urinary tract infections, mood swings, joint pain, memory trouble, hot flashes and insomnia.

Many women may find symptoms eased by hormone replacement therapy, said Dr. Michelle Warren of Columbia University Medical Center in New York City. Women may take vaginal estrogen in creams or in other forms like suppository pills, for example, and there is also Osphena, a prescription pill women can take that may ease vaginal dryness and sexual dysfunction.

The study wasn’t a controlled experiment designed to prove whether or how specific menopause symptoms directly impact women’s quality of life. The study authors also had financial ties to several companies that make drugs to treat a variety of menopause symptoms.

Even so, the results highlight the need for women to realize that menopause symptoms can lead to chronic health problems, and that these problems are often treatable, said Dr. Chandan Gupta of UC Health Primary Care, Women’s Center in Cincinnati, Ohio.

“Medical treatment is often sought out when symptoms become intolerable,” Gupta, who wasn’t involved in the study, said by email.

“The findings from this study confirm that menopausal changes have a significant impact on quality of life - this impact may be as significant as that of other common chronic medical conditions such as arthritis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), asthma and irritable bowel syndrome,” Gupta added. “Medical care is pursued routinely for these other conditions, but menopause-related changes in a woman’s vagina, vulva and urethra, such as dryness, irritation, soreness and urinary frequency are usually ignored.”]]>12/16/2018 3:05:16 PMTwo years later, S. Kh. married and was ordered to have a sexual relation with her husband, which she had known nothing about.

The husband died while his underage wife was pregnant, with no marriage certificate or any governmental documents proving that it is his child. After she delivered the baby, the husband’s family denied they knew the mother or the daughter.

Few months later, her father began to look for another groom because the tribal customs forbid divorced women and women in general from staying single, according to the victim.

Amal M., 25, a woman who lives in a village in Bahariya Oasis told Egypt Today that most girls in the oasis are obliged to marry when they are 16 years old, while the legal minimum age of marriage for girls in Egypt is 18. Consequently, tribal marriages taking place before the legal age cannot be documented and are criminalized.

According to a statistics by the Egyptian Center for Women’s Rights, 36 percent of women in tribal communities get married at an age that is less than 16 years old. The UNICEF found that when mothers are under the age of 19 the risk of infant death during the first year is 60 percent.

Shockingly, 124,000 minor marriages took place in 2017 only, according to Ebrahim Salim, the spokesperson of Egypt’s Ma'zoon Fund. Ma'zoon is a Muslim cleric who authorizes Muslims’ marriages.

Moreover, Marsa Matrouh's National Council for Women reported that 75 cases of undocumented marriages and divorces take place annually.

Egyptian lawyer and human rights defender Reda al-Danbouki said that several honor crimes were committed to preserve the customs and traditions of tribal societies.

Danbouki, the executive director of the Women's Center for Guidance and Legal Awareness, referred that the spread of undocumented marriage and forcing girls to marry at an early age happen due to numerous economic, social and cultural factors, most importantly the tribes consider such marriages an essential part of family traditions.

In Qena, 150 cases attempted to commit suicide in 2017, according to official statistics, due to tribal marriages, Danbouki asserted.

Danbouki said that in many areas, women are forced to marry from inside the tribe to preserve the inherited properties, adding that sometimes girls who refuse to marry this way are threatened with death.
Additional reporting by Amr Mohamed Kandil ]]>12/13/2018 10:00:00 AMGuided by instinct and signals whistled by her coach, Lopez has been training hard to become Spain’s first blind female athlete to enter the World Adaptive Surfing Championship in La Jolla, California, on Wednesday.

“The sea is where I feel peace and freedom, as if it were where I’m supposed to be,” she said sitting on her surfboard after an hour and a half of wave-riding practice in the Bay of Biscay in northern Spain.

“I’m not different from other surfers,” said Lopez, who was born with congenital glaucoma and lost her vision completely when she was a child.

In its fourth edition, the La Jolla event for surfers with disabilities features its first team competition for visually-impaired female athletes, with Lopez representing Spain.

Blind surfers such as Lopez’ countryman Aitor Francesena or Brazilian Derek Rabelo have achieved legendary status in the sport, and Lopez, who only took up surfing a few months ago, is aiming high.

After the La Jolla tournament, organized by the International Surfing Association (ISA), Lopez aims to compete in the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris. ISA has been campaigning to make adaptive surfing a Paralympic sport.

Lopez has also practiced figure-skating and horse-riding and her coach and friend Lucas Garcia praised her natural balance and instinct. Garcia, who swims next to Lopez when she surfs, is her ‘eyes’ when it comes to telling her about a wave coming up.

“A single whistle means the wave is coming on her right side, and a double whistle, on her left side,” he said, likening the signals to the way dolphins communicate.

Lopez wants to encourage others with disabilities to challenge their limitations, live a full life and perhaps try out radical sports.

]]>12/12/2018 2:36:52 PMThe promotion runs from December 11 to December 14, 2018 and is available

]]>12/11/2018 12:56:40 PMPedro Edmunds Paoa said Easter Island had a “thousand” of its iconic statues, known as the Moai, “both buried, ignored and discarded” and lacked the means to maintain them.

“Those thousand are falling apart because they are made of a volcanic stone, because of the wind and the rain are. We need global technology for their conservation,” he said.

He said one statue returned to the island from the Argentine capital Buenos Aires “four or five years ago” was now housed in a square where stray dogs urinated on it.

His comments will add weight to the argument of the British Museum to keep artifacts that originate from other nations in London where they are carefully curated and popular exhibits with visitors from around the world.

Last month, a delegation of Chilean officials and Easter Island dignitaries including Paoa’s brother, the Rapa Nui Council of Elders President Carlos Edmunds Paoa, traveled to London to appeal for the return of the seven-foot (2.13-meter) tall basalt figure, known as “Hoa Hakananai’a,” meaning “lost or stolen friend” in the local language.

The statue was among 900 statues or “Moai,” meaning “ancestors,” carved by islanders between 1100 and 1600 A.D.

It was taken from the island, located 2,480 miles (3,990 km) west of the Chilean capital Santiago, in 1868 by Richard Powell, the captain of HMS Topaze, and presented to Queen Victoria who later gave it to the British Museum.

Pedro Edmunds Paoa said there had been intense debate on the island about whether the Hoa Hakananai’a should be returned or not.

“Are we going to bring the ancestors back? Fantastic,” he said. “We are going to bring them back and we are going to place them where?

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“That Moai is in a museum where six million people come each year to visit it.”

He suggested that he would prefer a financial commitment from the British Museum to help in the preservation of all Rapa Nui monuments.

“It would not be an economic agreement, it would be an agreement to help Rapa Nui in what needs to be done in Rapa Nui for conservation”, he said, using the ancestral name of the island.

The British Museum was not immediately available for comment. Chile’s ministry of heritage, which has lobbied for the statue’s return, declined to comment.

]]>12/11/2018 11:57:19 AM The point of convergence for all forms of agricultural worldwide

With its 1,770 expected exhibitors from 42 countries, its 230,000 trade entries from 135 countries and its 360 international delegations, SIMA is the point of convergence for all types of agriculture worldwide. This is borne out by the hike in the number of international exhibitors (+12.5%) and illustrated by the arrival of new brands in all sectors. The return of some brands (including Poclain Hydraulics – France, GKN Walterscheid – Germany and Basak Traktor – Turkey) which had previously stayed away for several editions, serves as further confirmation.

The number of international exhibitors has risen sharply (+12.5%). SIMA is legitimate in staking its claim as the essential trade event for farmers from all over the world! Ninety-five percent of its available exhibiting surface area is already booked. There are 114 new companies among the exhibitors (up 40% on 2017). With 3 months still to go before its opening day, SIMA is breaking all the records!

A marketplace for exchange around the diversity of agriculture

With its theme “Innovation for competitive agriculture”, SIMA 2019 is more open than ever to the diversity of today’s farming. This is demonstrated by its wide-ranging and co-designed content and events which focus on pragmatism and business.
• SIMA African Summit, the international colloquium to gain access to a fast-growing market
• SIMA Dealers Day, bringing together dealers from all over the world
• International round tables, addressing the major challenges of the farming world (augmented agriculture, organic farming, agronomy, etc.)
• Start-up Villages, venues for international emulation around digital and connected solutions
• SIMAGENA, the European cattle genetics event, etc.

Going globalFinally, for its 2019 edition the show is ramping up its promotional initiatives through its international network of 47 representative offices and an active visitor promotion policy in more than 90 countries, most particularly in Egypt. Once again this year, visitors are expected to come from 135 countries.
]]>12/9/2018 2:57:03 PMIsha Ambani, 27, will marry Anand Piramal, 33, in the financial capital of Mumbai on Tuesday, but the festivities begin this weekend in the desert city of Udaipur, with three days of song, dance and pre-wedding rituals.

Wedding guests have access to an app mapping out the activities, which include a private concert by Beyonce.

More than 100 chartered flights are landing in Udaipur’s sleepy airport, a source on the spot, who declined to be identified, told Reuters.

Bollywood stars, including Priyanka Chopra, who got married last week, will also attend.

Indian media have speculated that the guest list includes former U.S. President Bill Clinton, along with his wife and Democratic candidate in the 2016 presidential election, Hillary Clinton.

“The event will have many visitors from abroad, so customs and immigration counters have been set up at the airport and will remain active for the next five days,” the airport source said.

The source declined to say how much Beyonce was being paid for the concert and media have not reported a figure.

The wedding will bring together two of India’s most influential families.

Ambani, the chairman of Reliance Industries, has a net worth of $47 billion, Forbes magazine says. The Piramals have interests in pharmaceuticals and real estate, and according to a report in the news magazine India Today, have given the couple a 50,000-sq-foot (4,645-sq-m) sea-facing home in Mumbai.

Many in India, where millions live in dire poverty, have closely followed the preparations, including the couple’s engagement at the luxury Villa D’Este hotel on Italy’s Lake Como, attended by more than 600 guests, and featuring a private performance by singer John Legend.

Newspapers and websites have been full of details about the ceremonies, the designer jewellery and clothes, with some of India’s top designers dressing the wedding party.

The wedding invitation includes necklaces and precious stones stacked in a two-tier floral box, at a cost of 300,000 rupees each ($4,236), India Today said.

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The wedding is the latest in a series of high-profile marriages that began last year, when cricket captain Virat Kohli tied the knot with Bollywood actress Anushka Sharma.

Just last week, actress Priyanka Chopra and U.S. singer Nick Jonas had a two-day wedding at one of India’s most ostentatious royal palaces.]]>12/9/2018 11:58:30 AMIt was the first time Mattarella, who took office in February 2015, had attended the prestigious first night of shows at the Milan opera house that has become a tradition for the country’s high society.

Mattarella, seen by some in the business community as an advocate of dialogue with Brussels when the anti-establishment government is locked in a dispute with the European Union over its 2019 budget, received a standing ovation as he arrived.

But the biggest plaudits were reserved for principal conductor Riccardo Chailly and Russian bass Ildar Abdrazakov, the main character in Giuseppe Verdi’s “Attila”, who were given a 14 minute ovation with the cast at the end of the performance.

Spanish soprano Saioa Hernandez made her debut at La Scala with the portrayal of Odabella, who vows to avenge her father’s death at the hands of Attila.

Based on the play “Attila, King of the Huns” by German dramatist Zacharias Werner, the opera revolves around the hated Huns’ conquest of Italy.

Director Davide Livermore set “Attila” in a grey landscape, a “dystopian” version of the 1900s without reference to the play’s 5th-century framework to make it more relevant to today.

The staging of a scene that was meant to include a falling bridge was changed after the collapse of a motorway bridge in Genoa in August that killed 43 people.

The opera debuted in Venice in March 1846 and is part of a trilogy of La Scala premieres - including “Giovanna d’Arco” (Joan of Arc) in 2015 and “Macbeth” that will be performed probably in 2020 — that Chailly decided to dedicate to Verdi’s earlier works.

“I loved this ‘Attila’, I appreciated the singers, the scenes ... everything,” said James Bradburne, the director of Milan’s Brera art museum.

“Attila” will be performed at La Scala until Jan. 8.]]>12/8/2018 11:17:51 AMFor the first time, all four works shortlisted for the annual prize were films, organizers said, tackling “some of today’s most important issues, from queer identity, human-rights abuses and police brutality to post-colonial migration and the legacy of liberation movements”.

Prodger, who works with sculpture, writing and film, was awarded the 25,000-pound ($31,785) prize for the autobiographical “BRIDGIT” as well as another video.

Named after the Neolithic deity, “BRIDGIT” features snippets of Prodger at home or in the Scottish countryside, looking at her experience of coming out as gay.

Filmed over one year, it uses narration from Prodger’s diary as well as book extracts, looking at history and identity.

“I guess my work is quite personal and it’s becoming increasingly personal as time goes by,” Prodger told Britain’s BBC after winning the prize. “It is an honor but I would like my life to carry on as normal.”

The 44-year-old, who will represent Scotland at the Venice Biennale next year, join the ranks of past Turner Prize winners which include Damien Hirst, Anish Kapoor and Antony Gormley. The prize was established in 1984.]]>12/5/2018 11:07:35 AM

”Chefs United Brunch” took place at Aqua E-Luce restaurant. The restaurant held a delightful brunch brought by Cairo’s finest wine brand “Cheers”, among the country’s most exclusive business influential figures, celebrities, and food enthusiasts, to demonstrate the admirable passion behind the cuisine.

International chefs from all corners of the world came together to present a variety of authentic delicacies. The guests enjoyed an international buffet which presented a wide variety of appetizing meals as the chefs surprised them with a fusion of myriad tastes from Thailand, Mexico, India, France, Lebanon and much more to create culinary masterpieces.

The mix between Europe, Asia, and Middle-Eastern traditional plates altogether with the music and the November winter breeze created a general air of happiness and delicious bliss.

You can enjoy “Chefs United Brunch” every Friday from 2:00 to 6:00 PM at Aqua E-Luce restaurant, Heliopolis Towers Hotel.

]]>12/4/2018 10:11:48 PMAll smartphones are becoming pretty similar, right? So why are we so in love with the new HUAWEI Mate 20 Pro, you might ask? We have six good reasons why.

1- Finally a camera that will ‘do it justice’

It is not a secret that HUAWEI has by far the best smartphone camera.While otherbrands’ camerasare still at 16MP, the HUAWEI Mate 20 Pro has the world’s first 40MPLeica Triple Camera integratingaLeica Ultra Wide Angle Lens. The triple camera consists of a 40MP RGB camera, a 20MP Camera with a Leica Ultra Wide Angle Lens and an 8MP telephoto camera. In case you’re not tech-savvy like us, we’ll simplify it:you will be able to fit large uninterrupted views in one picture, with of course,an incredible image quality.Never again will you have to sacrifice the rest Dubai’s skyline, cut Burj Khalifa in half or struggle to fit the entire Pyramids in one shot.It’s as close as it gets to the real view, crisp, clear and with a three dimensional effect – what you see is what you snap.

Taken by Hessa Falaknaz with HUAWEI Mate 20 Pro, nominated by Hamdan International Photography Award (HIPA)

As for those extreme close up shots referred to as ‘Macrography’ – that were normally only feasible with the help of professional cameras – they are now only possible throughHUAWEI Mate 20 Pro’ Super Macro feature. No need to purchase an expensive professional camera to see and photograph the tiniest features on flowers or explore the intricate details of a fly before getting rid of it. Leica Ultra Wide Angle Lens doubles as a macro lens that can land a focus on an object as close as 2.5cm from the lens.

Taken by Hessa Falaknaz with HUAWEI Mate 20 Pro, nominated by Hamdan International Photography Award (HIPA)

Video shooting gets a major upgrade too with the help of Artificial Intelligence, creating the AI Filmmaking featuregeared towardsadvanced video editing. Optimizing colors, adjusting saturation and brightness and using presetmodes will take your filmmaking skills to whole newlevel,without the trouble of actually going to Film school. But that’s not it – the AI Color Video Mode will recognize a human subject and desaturate everything around it, highlighting the person. How so?Say you’re shooting your toddler running around in the park – the kid will appear in colors, running in an all grey surrounding. Talk about dramatic.

2 – You’ll never run out of charge again with the one of the biggest smartphone battery ever

It’s quite heartbreaking when the dearest device to your heart dies on you while you’re out with no charger, it’s almost like losing a limb. Thankfully, this a thing of the past.

HUAWEI Mate 20 Pro’s4200mAh battery is one of the biggest smartphone battery available on the market, and is as safe as it is large – being TUV Safety certified.So what does the size of the battery translate to into everyday use? It has the capacity tolast through a whole day of intense usage. Sending out emails, scrolling throughInstagram and listening to music without having to worry. Knock yourself out.

3 – You won’t waste your time waiting around for your phone to charge

Being held hostage at home until your phone battery reaches a decent percentage doesn’t scream modern technology. We’re always in a hurry and HUAWEI got that. The “Supercharge”, the new HUAWEI40Wadapter now released is the fastest wireless charger in the world,it has the ability to charge your smartphone so quickly that it only takes 10 minutes to get to 25 % and 30 minutes to get to 70%.

4 – Share the power

A new unique, and extremely practical feature: the wireless Reverse Charging.HUAWEI Mate 20 Pro can serve as a power bank to other phones (Qi supported ones). Meaning that if your friend’s phone ran out of charge, simply place your phone on top of theirs, run this feature, and their phone will magically begin to charge. Talk about futuristic – and generous.

5–In-screen fingerprint unlock feature

A new,speedy and more intuitive version of the fingerprint unlock feature: you can now place your finger on the screen itself and a prompt will appear, recognize your fingerprint and unlock the phone all in the span of 0.5 seconds. The moment your finger is removed, the prompt disappears. It is quick, fluid and feels a lot more natural, leaving the phone completely button-less –turning it into one slick-looking screen.

6–Unlock it with your face

You privacy will be well protected with this alternative way of unlocking your device, the 3D Face Unlock feature. HUAWEI Mate 20 Pro uses the 3D Depth Sensing Camera to identify your facial features in under 600ms and unlock the phone (luckily, you will need to have your eyes open for this to work otherwise nap time will have dire consequences). With a false match rate below one in a million,this new feature is highly secure, efficient, and let’s face it – quite impressive.

In the last quarter, no smartphone has managed to combine innovation, performance and practicality in all departments the way HUAWEI Mate 20 Prohas.

]]>12/4/2018 9:56:58 PM“When you are immersed in the world you love, everything around you disappears,” the 22-year-old said. “This is what it feels like when I’m on stage.”

Shrouf, who dances in his spare time while studying languages and translation at university, is one of few male dancers in Jordan, where his hobby often carries a social stigma for men.

“Why did I choose ballet? Because it is a very difficult art form, one of the most difficult in the world,” he said.

The youngest of six children, Shrouf grew up in an artistic household. His father was a singer and musician who encouraged his performing dreams.

But while confident dancing on stage, Shrouf has struggled telling people about his ballet passion, worried how it would be perceived. He has faced some pressure to pursue other interests, but has refused to give ballet up.

“If you don’t pursue what you love, and if you don’t persist and believe in yourself, then those around you will not believe in you,” he said.

Shrouf last week danced in a show directed and choreographed by Rania Kamhawi, who founded Jordan’s first ballet and contemporary dance company, MISK, in 1996.

Kamhawi, who trained in ballet in Britain, said ballet was growing among Jordanian audiences, who usually prefer performances by folklore or contemporary dance groups.

“There is a niche audience that loves ballet, but what I have noticed is that there is a huge audience for folklore,” she said. “So we are incorporating techniques from folklore into ballet in order make it more lively and attract a wider audience.”

Today, MISK, which puts on shows at least once a year, counts 12 dancers. Shrouf is the only man.

“It’s a worldwide problem, not just in Jordan but I think this stigma is fading with the emergence of (television) shows like ‘So you think you can Dance’,” Kamhawi said of the lack of male ballet dancers. “This is breaking some old stereotypes.”

Shrouf hopes to form a male dance group, even if he acknowledges he may have to hang up his ballet shoes for a more traditional career: “I won’t give up, I will continue to work hard and pursue what I love.” ]]>12/4/2018 11:30:12 AMVerdonck’s company Royal Belgian Caviar makes two thirds of its European sales in the last two months of the year, with caviar consumption being one of the most enduring festive traditions.

“Here in Western Europe, it is typical that by the end of the year, Christmas time, New Year, that most of the caviar is sold,” he said.

The company takes pride in the fact that its precious sturgeon roe, which sells for between 1,500 and 4,000 euros per kg, graces the dining table of the British royal family.

Sturgeon farming is a long process, and depending on the variety, eggs are not ready to harvest until the fish reaches an advanced age: this can be as long as 18 years old in the case of the Beluga variety, which can weigh as much as 200 kg at the time of slaughter.]]>12/3/2018 1:22:54 PMOutdoor workouts are getting increasingly popular too, especially in good weather. Whether on the beach, in the mountains or at parks, people are getting that blood flowing. The world is getting healthy and we are loving it – and since technology is now an integral part of our lives, we scanned the market for the latest most efficient outdoor gadget, one that would accompany people on their day in the sun to make the experience more productive and pleasant. Out of all smartphones and gadgets nothing could hold a candle to the HUAWEI Mate 20 Pro, and here’s why.

The entire landscape in one shot

When on a beautiful hike, fill your lungs with fresh air and feast your eyes on the beauty of nature. Wish you could immortalize this moment? You now can. The HUAWEI Mate 20 Pro integrates the world’s first Leica Wide Angle Lens on its 20MP lens, one of the three Leica Triple Camera lenses (the others being a primary 40MP one and an 8MP telephoto one). The Leica Wide Angle Lens, as its name indicates, lets the camera see ‘wider’. Meaning that you can fit your field of view into one shot, without having to leave any of it out. All those trees and mountains you can see will fit into one beautiful shot, saving this precious moment into a beautiful postcard-like image. Simply choose the 0.6x option on the mid-left button to activate the Wide Angle Lens and capture the landscape in its entirety. This works just as well for videos. Shoot the beautiful landscape while crossing cities on your motorcycle and get the full view in one video.
]]>12/2/2018 12:22:35 PMBidders at the two-day auction conducted by Julien’s Auctions included comedian Jim Belushi, who purchased a leather-bound script for a 1977 Saturday Night Live show that Hefner hosted for $3,125, the auction house said.

The highest grossing item was the typewriter, which he used to write copy for the magazine’s first issue in 1953. It went for $162,500, while his personal copy of the issue itself, featuring Marylin Monroe, sold for $31,250.

Hefner, who helped usher in the 1960s sexual revolution with his magazine and nightclubs, died in September 2017 at age 91. He left his property to his foundation, which put some of the items up for sale.

Among the more unusual items was a gold ring with a compartment holding a blue viagra pill, the medication that allows men with to maintain an erection when they otherwise might not be able to. That sold for $22,400.

Hefner’s complete set of bound volumes of the magazine, from 1953 to 2013, sold for $76,800.

His white captain’s hat went for $19,200. A 1962 letter from future feminist leader Gloria Steinem, who took an undercover job as a playboy bunny at Hefner’s New York nightclub and wrote about it for Show magazine, sold for $22,400.

The proceeds from the Nov. 30-Dec. 1 auction will go to Hefner’s foundation, which was set up in 1964 to advocate for civil liberties, including LGBT rights and the legalization of medical marijuana, the auction house said.]]>12/2/2018 11:31:36 AM“A custody arrangement was agreed to weeks ago, and has been signed by both parties and the judge,” Jolie’s lawyer Samantha Bley DeJean said in a statement to Reuters.

“The agreement, which is based on the recommendations of the child custody evaluator, eliminates the need for a trial. The filing and details of the agreement are confidential to protect the best interests of the children.”

Representatives of Pitt had no immediate comment.

Jolie and Pitt, once one of Hollywood’s most glamorous couples, separated in September 2016 after a more than 10-year romance and two-year marriage. Jolie, who filed for divorce citing irreconcilable differences, had been seeking primary custody of their six children, three of whom are the couple’s biological children and three of whom are adopted.

Friday’s statement did not say how custody would be divided, and Jolie’s spokesperson declined to give details.

A trial date in the custody case had been tentatively set for Dec. 4 before a private judge in Los Angeles.

Successes, scandals and send-offs: 2018's top showbiz stories
A source close to Jolie said that she “is very pleased to be entering the next stage and relieved with progress for the health of their family.”.

The 2016 divorce filing triggered a bitter custody dispute during which Pitt was investigated and cleared of child abuse, and both sides accused each other of trying to manipulate media coverage in their favor.

The couple have yet to reach a final divorce settlement.

“Moneyball” actor Pitt, 54, and “Maleficent” star Jolie, 43, began dating in late 2005 and married in 2014. They are parents to Maddox, 17, Pax, 15, Zahara, 13, Shiloh, 12, and 10-year-old twins Knox and Vivienne.]]>12/1/2018 11:14:10 AMHarry spent the last of his two days in Zambia visiting World War Two veterans in the capital Lusaka before heading to Circus Zambia, a project that helps vulnerable young people to gain skills, education and employment.

The monarch’s grandson posed for pictures surrounded by performers at the circus, which is funded by The Queen’s Commonwealth Trust, a charity supporting young leaders around the world.

“All the stories we heard today are powerful reminders of the great work underway here. All brought about by young people, like you, who have stepped up to make a difference for others,” Harry, who is president of the trust, said in a speech.

“Too often funders and investors miss what you’re doing because they can’t find you or see what you’re achieving. We established The Queen’s Commonwealth Trust to be your platform.”

Harry sent “best wishes” from his wife Meghan who is pregnant and remained at home.

On Monday, Harry met Zambian President Edgar Lungu, pledging to help boost the country’s dwindling elephant population through another of his charities.

Harry is a frequent visitor to southern Africa for his charity work and holidays. Harry and Meghan have enjoyed romantic getaways together in Botswana.]]>11/28/2018 11:02:49 AMLet’s, for example, take the statistics released by Google to get a glimpse of our behavior when technology doesn’t deliver as fast as we expect it to.A whopping 53% of users will abandon mobile sites if loading takes longer than 3 seconds(Anderson, “How Fast Should A Website Load in 2018?” 2018).Are 3 seconds really that long? Some will say modern society has become impatient, we on the other hand think it is mere reflection of our faith in technology’s capabilities and the fact that we won’t settle for less than very fast. The HUAWEI Mate 20 Pro is the only smartphone on the market that respects today’s need for speed and stands out as the only real solution to modern day users who dislike the wait or cannot afford it. And it does so with utmost innovation.

A low maintenance battery for your ‘on-the-go’ life

Most smartphones today need to be charged twice (sometimes even thrice!). When on-the-go, this can be impractical and a real time-waster.Alternatively, you canlet your smartphone battery die and miss out on that beautiful holiday sunset photo, not be able to use your map when lost, or opt not make a call because of that dreadful ‘low battery’ announcement– this is our modern day dilemma. If those scenarios sound too cruel, then waiting for our smartphone to charge is a necessary evil. Luckily, the HUAWEI Mate 20 Pro solves this issue with the integration of a 4200mAh battery that outmuscles most other batteries in the industry. It can last throughout an entire day of intensive usage, saving you the dreaded long charging waits and empowering you with time and connectivity to get a lot more done.

]]>11/27/2018 3:02:11 PMThe Egyptian Embassy's Cultural Office in China participated in the diplomat national costume competition, where Egyptian students in China represented Egypt.The competition was attended by Egyptian Cultural Adviser in China, Hussein Ibrahim, and the ambassadors of Belarus, Maldives and Nepal.

Representatives of diplomatic missions and their families as well as foreign students in China attended the show.

In this competition, the Egyptian team presented the development of the Egyptian traditional costumes throughout the different ages.Also, the team performed the tahtib dances it reflects a part of the Upper Egyptian culture.

“We invite all of you to visit Egypt to enjoy its nature and archaeological sites,”Ibrahim said.
In his speech, Ibrahim pointed out that traditional clothes are an integral part of every society' sheritage. Ibrahim also confirmed that Egypt is keen to participate in these events to introduce the Egyptian culture, heritage and customs.

The adviser also affirmed that cultural exchange between Egypt and China has increased in recent years.

A total of 16 delegations from different countries,including Vietnam, Romania, and Pakistan, participated in the seventh Wuzhou Cup Diplomat National Costume Competition held in Beijing’s Xiushui Street.

Peru ranked first at the seventh Wuzhou Cup Diplomat National Costume Competition, while Belarus and Russia took the second and third places.

The Belorussian team performed several dances to traditional Belorussian music; Belarus also won the contest in 2012.
.
]]>11/27/2018 12:51:13 PMOnce planted in family orchards and small-scale farms, the durian, described by some as smelling like an open sewer or turpentine when ripe, is attracting investments like never before. Even property tycoons and companies in palm oil, Malaysia’s biggest agricultural export, are making forays into the durian business.

The Malaysian government is encouraging large-scale farming of durian, counting on a 50 percent jump in exports by 2030.

“The durian industry is transforming from local to global, large-scale farming due to the great demand from China,” said Lim Chin Khee, a durian industry consultant. “Before the boom, a durian farm in Malaysia would be a leisure farm ... Now they are hundreds of acres and bigger, and many more will come.”

Durian may be banned in some airports, public transport and hotels in Southeast Asia for its pungent smell, but the Chinese are huge fans. Durian-flavored foods sold in China include pizza, butter, salad dressing and milk.

“At first, I also hated durians because I thought they have a weird smell,” said Helen Li, 26, eating at a shop specializing in durian pizza in Shanghai, where nearly every customer ordered the 60 yuan ($8.50) dish during a recent lunch hour rush. “But when you taste it, it’s really quite delicious. I think those who hate durian are scared by its smell. But once you try it, I think their opinion will change.”

At another Shanghai restaurant selling durian chicken hotpot - a type of sizzling broth - for around 148 yuan ($21), owner Chen Weihao said the store could sell around 20 to 25 kg of imported Thai durian every month.

“When you taste it, it has a kind of fresh and sweet flavor, as if you have arrived in the tropics,” said 27-year-old customer Yang Yang.

TOP DOLLAR

Chinese pay top dollar for Malaysia’s ‘Musang King’ variety of durian because of its creamy texture and bitter-sweet taste. Prices of the variety, now planted all over the country, have nearly quadrupled in the last five years.

China’s durian imports rose 15 percent last year to nearly 350,000 tonnes worth $510 million, according to the United Nations’ trade database. Nearly 40 percent was from Thailand, the world’s top producer and exporter.

Malaysia accounted for less than 1 percent, but expects sales to China to jump to 22,061 tonnes by 2030 from this year’s likely 14,600 tonnes, as trade is widened to include whole fruit from the current restriction to durian pulp and paste.

Lim, the consultant, said palm oil giant IOI Corp and property-to-resorts conglomerate Berjaya Corp have approached him about making ventures into durian farming.

IOI did not respond to Reuters’ queries, but a source with direct knowledge of the matter said the company was looking to plant durian on a small scale.

Berjaya, headed by one of Malaysia’s richest businessmen, Vincent Tan, did not respond to a request for comment.

State-owned palm oil company Felda said the agricultural ministry began planting durian on its land this year. PLS Plantations, a construction and palm plantation firm which counts property tycoon Lim Kang Hoo as a director, last month said it will buy a $5 million stake in a durian exporter.

M7 Plantation Bhd, a private company established last year, is developing a 10,000-acre durian estate in Gua Musang, home to the Musang King in the eastern state of Kelantan, and is selling durian trees for 5,000 ringgit ($1,200) each.

“We founded the company because we see potential in the industry, the primary target being China,” Chief Executive Ng Lee Chin said, adding that most of her buyers were from China.

AGRICULTURE ‘GOLD’

“Planting durians is not just a hobby today as durians are considered as ‘gold’ in the agriculture industry,” the agriculture department said in e-mailed comments to Reuters.

Malaysia’s durian plantations covered 72,000 hectares last year but the area under cultivation is growing, the department said, and in some areas plantations growing palm oil are switching to durian because it is seen as more lucrative.

In March, Malaysia’s then-agriculture minister was quoted as saying one hectare of Musang King could yield nearly nine times more revenue than a hectare of palm plantation.

In Sabah state, some of the land for durian farming will come from converting palm estates, its agriculture ministry said, adding it was planning expansion over 5,000 hectares.

The increase in durian farming, however, has raised concerns it could take an environmentally destructive path similar to palm oil.

The palm oil industry has been held responsible for large-scale deforestation and destruction of species-rich rainforests in Malaysia.

The Star, a local newspaper, reported last month that around 1,200 hectares of land near a forest reserve in the state of Pahang that is home to the critically endangered Malayan tiger would be razed for Musang King plantations.

Pahang officials did not respond to request for comments.

“In a matter of time, the durian boom will run the way of palm oil,” said Shariffa Sabrina Syed Akil, president of the environmental non-government organization Peka Malaysia.]]>11/26/2018 11:44:11 AMHundreds flock to the Kunnatri Ruttharam temple every week to pay respects to the enormous dead tree trunk, which is draped in flowers and offerings from worshippers who believe rubbing its bark can reveal winning lottery numbers.

The state-run lottery business is booming in the kingdom, with ticket vendors on almost every street corner and buyers poring over numerology charts to pick the luckiest sequence.

The state lottery contributed 40.8 billion baht ($1.24 billion) to government revenue in 2018, according to data, the highest of any state-owned enterprise and more than double that of the state energy company PTT Pcl.

One lucky worshipper believes he won 70,000 baht ($2,122.50) thanks to the tree and said it has brought him luck before.

“I have won minor prizes before from this tree, I think when I am in tough spots the tree helps me,” Pakapon Chummano, 54, said.

People have a variety of techniques for finding lucky lottery numbers, including visiting spirit mediums, praying to holy relics, or dropping candle wax on water at temples or other holy sites.

Lottery winnings are announced twice a month and the Government Lottery office estimates it sells an average of 90 million tickets per round in a country of almost 70 million people.]]>11/25/2018 11:25:48 AMThe ‘Michael Jackson: On the Wall’ exhibition at Paris’ Grand Palais features an array of portraits and Jackson-inspired works including collages, videos and installations.

The exhibition was first shown at London’s National Portrait Gallery in June.

Nicholas Cullinan, director at the National Portrait Gallery, hoped the Paris show would replicate the success of the event in London. He said 82,500 people visited the exhibition there, including celebrities such as Madonna.

Artist Kehinde Wiley’s “Equestrian Portrait of King Philip II (Michael Jackson)” was the last commissioned portrait of the singer before his death, and it shows the eccentric artist in regal mode, wearing armor and riding a horse.

Jackson, dubbed the ‘King of Pop’, died at the age of 50 in 2009 after an overdose of prescribed medicines.

Jackson first rose to fame as a child star singing beside his brothers in the Jackson Five, whose hits included “ABC”.

He then pursued a solo career that led to huge, worldwide hits with songs such as “Beat It”, “Thriller” and “Bad”.]]>11/24/2018 1:59:31 PM"That's not the plan," Zuckerberg told CNN Business when asked if he would consider stepping down as chairman.

He also defended Facebook chief operating officer Sheryl Sandberg, who has drawn criticism over her handling of the social media giant's recent crises.

"Sheryl is a really important part of this company and is leading a lot of the efforts for a lot of the biggest issues we have," said Zuckerberg.

"She's been an important partner to me for 10 years. I'm really proud of the work we've done together and I hope that we work together for decades more to come."

Facebook has stumbled from one mess to another this year as it grappled with continuing fallout from Russia's use of the platform to interfere in the 2016 US presidential election, the Cambridge Analytica scandal in which user data was harnessed in a bid to help candidate Donald Trump, and a huge security breach involving millions of accounts.

Most recently, an investigative piece published last week by The New York Times said Facebook misled the public about what it knew about Russia's election meddling and used a PR firm to spread negative stories about other Silicon Valley companies and thus deflect anger away from itself.

"It is not clear to me at all that the report is right," Zuckerberg said of the Times article.

"A lot of the things that were in that report, we talked to the reporters ahead of time and told them that from everything that we'd seen, that wasn't true and they chose to print it anyway."

Zuckerberg also defended his company against the broader wave of flak it has taken this year.

"A lot of the criticism around the biggest issues has been fair, but I do think that if we are going to be real, there is this bigger picture as well, which is that we have a different world view than some of the folks who are covering us," he said.

"There are big issues, and I'm not trying to say that there aren't... But I do think that sometimes, you can get the flavor from some of the coverage that that's all there is, and I don't think that that's right either."]]>11/22/2018 6:20:00 AMThe sponsorship deal will make the payments giant the exclusive payment services provider at all venues during the Total AFCON tournaments in 2019 and 2021 and will be the preferred payment option for tickets bought both in-person and online. In addition, Visa will be the official partner of the player escort program, giving over 1,100 children the opportunity to lead their football heroes out at the Total AFCON matches.

Visa has a long and proud history of supporting football, having been a sponsor of the FIFA World Cup since 2007. Coming off the back of a successful 2018 FIFA World Cup campaign in Russia and with preparations underway for the upcoming FIFA Women’s World Cup France 2019, this association builds on Visa’s strategy to bring the best of their sponsorship experience on the global stage to regional tournaments.

Ahmad Ahmad, President, Confédération Africaine de Football (CAF) said: “The benefits of investing in African football are clear to see, and with football being the number one passion of consumers across the continent we’re delighted to welcome Visa as a sponsor of the Total AFCON tournament. Through this partnership with CAF, Visa will be able to connect further with its customers and leverage CAF as an innovative marketing platform. Africa is now more connected than ever before, and Visa’s payment network will play a vital role in reaching and rewarding fans across the region. I’m certain that together we will take African football to the next level.”

“Football is the most popular sport in the world with an estimated 4 billion fans and the sport intrinsically aligns with Visa’s values of acceptance and inclusion. The Total Africa Cup of Nations tournament is arguably the most important football event in our region where the best of African football comes together. We are very proud to begin our association with CAF, Lagardère Sports and the Total AFCON tournament to support the growth of football in our key markets,” said Andrew Torre, Regional President, Central & Eastern Europe, Middle East and Africa (CEMEA), Visa.

“Being the exclusive payment services partner at some of the biggest global sporting properties in the world has enabled us to showcase the latest in payment innovation on a global stage and has had a demonstrable impact on the fan experience and local merchant environment. We are looking forward to a very big summer in 2019 where through our sponsorship of two of the largest football tournaments in the world, we can connect football’s most passionate and engaged audiences through our powerful, reliable and secure payment network and create unique and unforgettable experiences for global football fans, cardholders and clients alike,” said Torre.

]]>11/21/2018 5:20:59 PM“This region has been growing for the last five to ten years and an increasing number of the world’s biggest collectors are here,” said Sam Hines, worldwide head of watches at Sotheby’s and the night’s auctioneer.

Auction house Christie’s held an auction for watches in Dubai in March.

Monday night’s top seller was a Chopard wristwatch set in white gold, diamond and sapphire which was sold for more than $200,000.

“Prices used to be a bit silly,” said a Dubai-based prospective buyer, noting other auctions suffered from excess hype.

Greater knowledge means prices will not be astronomical, said Hines. “That’s a good thing for the market so it doesn’t overheat and burst.”]]>11/21/2018 11:31:22 AMGenerations of children eagerly anticipated the annual arrival of the dolls at marketplaces throughout the country, enthusiastically breaking them into pieces in order to indulge in the sweet taste.

But in many shops the edible sugar doll has been replaced with a plastic version, especially in larger cities.

Whether made of sugar or plastic, the dolls are dressed as brides.

Yet, for Mohamed Sayed Farag, who makes dolls in the traditional way, the two are not the same.

“Mawlid without sweets? That can’t be,” he said, adding that he makes a sugar doll, called “Zefaf”, Arabic for wedding, which wears a four-layer dress.

The Mawlid al-Nabi holiday, which starts on Tuesday, is an important occasion for many Egyptians, marked by making traditional sweets that are sold in shops and street markets.

Prophet Mohammad was born in Mecca, Saudi Arabia in the year 570 AD. Muslims around the world celebrate Mawlid, or his birth, each year on the 12th day of Rabi’ al-Awwal, the third month of the Islamic calendar.]]>11/20/2018 11:39:09 AMThe opening of the new showroom in Cairo’s east side will allow customers to immerse themselves in Bosch quality, sophisticated design, innovations, and try out its latest appliances such as the Series 8 and 6 gas hobs with FlameSelect, and Bosch’s Series 8 ovens in addition to many other highlights and technologies (e.g. I-Dos, ActiveOxygen, XL/XXL fridges, perfectly drying dishwashers). Currently, Egyptian consumers can purchase a range of Bosch appliances at Hyper One, Btech, Aswak Abdelaziz, Smart Homes and other Bosch brand stores in Salah Salim Street, Mohandiseen and Dokki.

Bosch will also inaugurate its first customer service centre in Egypt with their distributor MTI- MM Group in Obour Buildings, Salah Salim Street, Cairo where fourteen certified service technicians will be on the ground, taking up to 50,000 customer orders per year.

“The expansion of our stores and opening of our customer service centre in Egypt further highlights our commitment to the market,” said Saif Khan – BSH VP of Sales and Marketing North Africa. “At Bosch, it is our priority to continue to provide intelligent, reliable and appealing solutions to make the consumer’s life easier, and we are consistently looking to create technology that always serves a purpose. For this reason, we are proud to announce the opening of a new store that will offer Egyptians access to our high-quality, energy-efficient products in the market.”

Egypt is the bridge between North Africa and the Middle East, offering a plethora of opportunities for growth. Bosch’s headquarters in Cairo aims to support economic development and infrastructure, as well as local talent training as it continues to create local jobs.]]>11/19/2018 8:15:10 PMIn one of the art world’s most dramatic heists, thieves made off with seven paintings, worth millions of euros, by Picasso, Matisse, Monet and others.

While the Romanian ringleader and his accomplices were convicted of the theft in 2013, none of the artworks had been recovered and Romanian experts believed at least three of them had been burned in an attempt to destroy evidence.

“Anti-organized crime prosecutors are investigating the circumstances under which a painting signed by Picasso worth roughly 800,000 euros ($913,440) was found on Saturday evening in Tulcea county,” they said in a statement, adding the painting is being authenticated.

They said two Dutch citizens arrived at the Netherlands Embassy in Bucharest with the painting saying they had found it in the southeastern Romanian county.

Security camera footage released at the time of the theft showed a gang entering through a back door of the museum and disappearing from view. Seconds later they reappeared carrying bulky objects.

The 26-year-old has lost the ability to make and retain short-term memories. Instead, he painstakingly records his days in lined notebooks, crammed with entries in blue ink.

“I use the notebook to remember who I helped today, how much farm work I did, whether there was rain ... the notebook is my memory,” said Chen, who lives with his stepmother, Wang Miao-cyong, 65, in a remote village in Hsinchu County, northwestern Taiwan.

"I once lost one of my notebooks. I was so sad that I was crying and asked my dad to help me find it."

Since his father died four years ago, Chen and his stepmother have lived on a government disability allowance and a small income they get from farming fruit and vegetables, which they barter with neighbors, some of whom call Chen “notebook boy”.

Dr Lin Ming-teng, head of the psychiatry department at Taipei Veterans General Hospital, said Chen has made remarkable progress despite his extensive brain damage.

“From the X-ray, we can see a large part of his brain in black - these are the sections that were operated on after the traffic accident,” Lin said.

“After losing such a substantial portion of his brain, it is quite amazing for him to achieve what he is doing now,” Lin said, adding that Chen could only remember things he had done in the last five to 10 minutes.

Lin said the damage had also affected Chen’s ability to receive and process information.

“This has an effect on his relationship with his mother, too, as sometimes his mother cannot get over the fact that he forgets things,” Lin said.

Wang longs to go back to her hometown in Indonesia, but she feels she cannot leave Chen alone.

“If I leave, who will take care of my son? I can’t imagine his future after I die.”

For now, Chen’s notebooks allow him to preserve some semblance of order in his life.

Slideshow (34 Images)
Ten days later, he found his phone, documenting the find in his notebook, of course.]]>11/18/2018 11:50:17 AMThe “Breathing for the Soul” choir, which was formed this spring, gave its second performance on Thursday in the ball room of a Budapest Hotel.

Its members, many seriously ill with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and drawn from hospitals across Hungary, say the singing has improved the quality of their lives.

“I’ve never thought in my life that I would ever sing,” Maria Aranyi, 74, who has been suffering from serious asthma for a decade.

“After the grey days, there is a place where I feel good ... after singing I noticed that I could also breathe more easily.”

Many lung disease patients become inhibited in their daily lives and get increasingly isolated. Singing in a choir has brought them new friends.

Doctor Katalin Vardi came up with the idea of forming the choir after learning that similar patients in other countries had found singing beneficial.

She said introducing concerts had given a new sense of purpose to people who have to cope with the thought that their symptoms could get worse as the disease progresses.

“We upped the stakes for them, in order to change their own image of themselves,” Vardi said.

“With this community ... they can show their talent to the world and the fact that they work together for this, is a hugely positive feeling for them.”

FDA restricts e-cig sales to curb teen use
The songs were chosen to showcase the patients’ abilities by conductor Gyorgy Philipp, who said the concert was a huge challenge for people who had never been on stage.

“We select songs that make it possible for patients to be able to perform longer lines, more difficult tunes and they can develop through that system,” he said.]]>11/17/2018 12:31:32 PMThe seven-foot (2.13 m) tall basalt figure, known as “Hoa Hakananai’a,” meaning “lost or stolen friend” in the local language, was among 900 statues or “Moai,” meaning “ancestors,” carved by islanders between 1100 and 1600 A.D.

The Hoa Hakananai’a was taken from the island, located 2,480 miles (3,990 km) west of the Chilean capital Santiago, in 1868 by Richard Powell, the captain of HMS Topaze, and presented to Queen Victoria who passed it on to the British Museum.

The statue is one of many artifacts British explorers and dignitaries acquired from around the globe that are displayed in the British Museum. But a number of these treasures have become the subject of intense debate and requests for their return by their countries of origin.

Among these are the Grecian antique sculptures known as the Elgin Marbles and the Benin Bronzes from modern-day Nigeria.

The Hoa Hakananai’a is unique among the Moai because it is made of basalt, while the larger statues that still populate Easter Island were hewn from blocks of compressed volcanic ash. It also bears figures associated with the Tangata Manu, or “bird man”, cult carved on its back.

The delegation will offer to swap the Hoa Hakananai’a for another Moai carved from stone by the contemporary local sculptor Bene Tuki.

Felipe Ward, Chile’s heritage minister who will accompany the delegation to the meeting in London on Tuesday, said he had “a glimmer of hope because they are wiling to discuss it.”

“The best place for this Moai is where it was created,” he told Reuters in an interview in Santiago this week. “Rapa Nui is an open air museum so the conditions for protecting it are perfect.”

Rare Mickey Mouse posters up for auction on anniversary
A spokesman for the British Museum told Reuters it was always willing to consider loaning out objects from its collection “subject to the usual conditions.”

“We believe that there is great value in presenting objects from across the world, alongside the stories of other cultures at the British Museum,” the spokesman said.

“Hoa Hakananai’a is free to view and is among the most popular and most photographed exhibits with our 6 million visitors each year.”]]>11/16/2018 1:03:00 PMFoie Gras, Whiskey & Wine

Bar’oro is the golden bar that offers you a golden experience in a classic setting with a variety of signature cocktails, bar bites and a wide variety of exclusive Cuban cigars with a walk-in humidor. This month the elegant bar welcomes guests to celebrate the early winter days in luxury. The Foie gras focused menu invites guests to indulge in one of three unique creations, featuring the signature “Goose Foie Gras” paired with whiskey or wine according to your preference. Delight in the jazzy sounds of our live jazz band in a classic setting overlooking dazzling Nile views.

With its collection of restaurants, bars and lounges, the downtown hotel attracts both visitors and locals in search of refined cuisine and beautifully designed spaces. - Press Photo

Savor porcini and wine at Vivo

Famous for bringing the authentic taste of Italy to the heart of Cairo, Vivo is a favorite among the city’s gourmands as it offers the rustic and rich Italian gastronomy in a modern, contemporary setting overlooking infinite views of the Nile and Cairo tower. This season, Chef Carmine De Luggo, Chef De Cuisine has something special in store for diners, with a tempting new menu that pairs the bold, earthy flavor of Porcini mushrooms with the distinctive taste of locally-produced Egyptian wines. Featuring a range of signature dishes, each built around imported European Porcini, the special menu will be available from 15th November for an entire month with prices starting from EGP 750 per person excluding all taxes.

]]>11/15/2018 1:39:49 PMThe three-day cross-disciplinary event aims to create a "safe place free of egos and organizational weights" for change-makers to connect, ask new questions, learn, experiment, and work together on the complex challenges of our time.

AltShift is a first of its kind event in the MENA region with a zero-waste policy. More than 30 change-makers from six countries cooperated intensively to deliver this unique event. The event has been held in many European countries.

Ehab Elia, the founder of Ouishare Egypt, joined hands with The Good Summit to bring this festival to Egypt. The Egyptian entrepreneur, Elia told Egypt Today the story behind AltShift and how his dream to bring this event to Cairo turned to reality.

AltShift Volunteers welcoming

“I work in a worldwide NGO called Ouishare. This organization was established in 2012 in Paris and now we are present in 40 cities around the globe. We work mainly in four fields; organizing full events, consultancy, working on academic research papers, and providing incubation programs for social enterprises,” Ehab Elia, the founder of Ouishare Egypt, told Egypt Today.

It was in 2014 when Elia first attended this Ouishare festival in France as a volunteer and since then he has started thinking of transacting the philosophy of this event to Cairo. After four years, Cairo saw the first AltShift event.

AltShift Participant discussion

Elia told Egypt Today “The event is called (Alt)ernative Shift as we seek to express that it’s a shifting moment; everything around us is changing in a very high speed and complex manner. It seems that the shift is happening to us not with us; we don’t have a hand in a shift and we don’t know where we are going but we are going. So the idea of the festival is that we need an alternative shift: AltShift.”

The festival was based on three pillars: Human, Technology, and the City. The Human pillar included tracks like “Human Futures of Work” and “Health”. Another discussion on how the use of new media and storytelling can foster women leadership in Egypt was held in partnership with the Womanity Foundation.

The second day discussed "Technology" which included tracks such as “Open Organizations,” “Decentralized Technologies - Blockchain and other decentralized technology,” and “Fintech.”

The final day invited participants to co-create a “Regenerative City Model.” The Regenerative City Model aims to bring together different positive concepts around regenerative cities and demonstrate how they can be applied in different contexts to make cities more resilient. "There are a lot of positive concepts and projects, but never together. Imagine putting the maximum number of these concepts into a city to create a Regenerative City Model," Elia stated.

Participant working on the Regenerative City Model

Two hundred people attended the event which presented 56 local speakers and seven international ones.

Elia also talked about Ouishare saying that “It is a global community or network of independent persons who could be change makers, entrepreneurs or officials. They all have the idea that our mode of production and consumption should be changed to be more efficient or more in phase with the world where we live today.”

Ending AltShift with participant, volunteer, and the team

“Wait for us from 18 to 21 October 2019 at the second edition of AltShift Festival,” Elia concluded.

]]>11/15/2018 5:50:00 AMTen dazzling treasures that belonged to the ill-fated queen are part of a 100-piece collection, held by the Italian royal House of Bourbon-Parma, being sold by Sotheby's auction house.

They include a diamond-set monogrammed ring containing a lock of her hair, valued at $8,000-10,000.

Marie Antoinette, the last queen of France before the revolution, was guillotined in Paris in October 1793 at the age of 37.

He described Wednesday's auction at the luxurious Mandarin Oriental Hotel on the Shores of Lake Geneva as "the sale of the 21st Century".

Jaw-dropping prices have been paid for precious gems at recent Geneva jewel auctions, with some rare, flawless coloured diamonds fetching tens of millions of dollars each.

Marie Antoinette's pieces are not expected to approach those heights, but buyers may still part with hundreds of thousands of dollars to own a piece of history.

The highlight is Marie Antoinette's Pearl, a natural pearl and diamond pendant valued at $1-2 million (870,000-1.7 million euros).

A natural pearl and diamond necklace composed of three rows of more than 100 slightly graduated pearls is expected to fetch $200,000-300,000, as are a pair of pearl and diamond pendant earrings.

A fine natural pearl and diamond necklace is meanwhile priced at $40,000-70,000, while a double ribbon bow diamond brooch is estimated at $50,000-80,000.

"It is one of the most important royal jewellery collections ever to appear on the market and each and every jewel is absolutely imbued with history," said Daniela Mascetti, deputy chair of Sotheby's jewellery in Europe.

- Journey through Europe -

The jewels have followed a winding path highlighting European power dynamics in the 18th and 19th centuries.

According to accounts written by the queen's lady in waiting, Madame Campan, Marie Antoinette spent an entire evening in the Tuileries Palace wrapping all her diamonds, rubies and pearls in cotton and enclosing them in a wooden chest.

They were sent to Brussels, governed by her sister Archduchess Marie-Christine, before being sent on to the French queen's native Austria, and into the safe-keeping of her nephew, the emperor.

In 1792, the royal family was imprisoned in Paris. The king and queen were executed the next year, and their 10-year-old son Louis XVIII died in captivity.

Only their daughter, Marie Therese of France, survived. She was sent to Austria in 1796, where she was given her mother's jewels.

She had no children herself, but passed on the jewels to her niece and adopted daughter, Louise of France, Duchess of Parma, who in turn left them to her son, Robert I (1848-1907), the last ruling Duke of Parma.

They have been privately owned by relatives ever since.]]>11/14/2018 11:11:20 AMThe HUAWEI Mate 20 Series is powered by Huawei’s densest and highest performing system on chip (SoC) to date—the Kirin 980. Manufactured with the advanced 7nm process incorporating the powerful Cortex-A76-based CPU and Mali-G76 GPU, the SoC offers improved performance and an unprecedented smooth user experience. The new 40W HUAWEI SuperCharge, 15W HUAWEI Wireless Quick Charge and large batteries work in tandem to provide users with the best battery life. The Matrix Camera System includes Leica Ultra Wide Angle Lens that lets users not only see wider, but also closer with its new macro distance capability. The Hyper Optical Pattern on the glass back plays with light and shadows, producing an iridescent optical effect that is immediately captivating. The Matrix Camera System adopts the iconic Four-Point Design that exudes personality, giving the device a unique visual identity that is recognizable even at a distance. The HUAWEI Mate 20 Series is shipped with the highly customized Android P-based EMUI 9 operating system, on which consumers can enjoy all productivity and entertainment features easily and conveniently with a few simple taps and swipes.

“Smartphones are an important entrance to the digital world. The HUAWEI Mate 20 Series is designed to be the best ‘mate’ of consumers, accompanying and empowering them to enjoy a richer, more fulfilled life with their higher intelligence, unparalleled battery lives and powerful camera performance,” said Richard Yu, CEO of Huawei Consumer BG.

Ultimate Performance and Battery Life

The SoC at the core of smartphones has a determining factor in a device’s performance and efficiency. Manufactured with the cutting-edge 7nm technology process, the SoC fits 6.9 billion transistors within a die the size of a fingernail. Compared to Kirin 970, the latest chipset is equipped with CPU that is 75 percent more powerful, GPU that is 46 percent more powerful and NPU that is 226 percent more powerful. Furthermore, the efficiency of the components has also been elevated: the CPU is 58 percent more efficient, GPU is 178 percent more efficient, and the NPU is 182 percent more efficient. The Kirin 980 is the world’s first commercial SoC to use the Cortex-A76-based cores. Huawei has innovatively designed a three-tier architecture that consists of two ultra-large cores, two large cores and four small cores. This grants the CPU the flexibility to allocate the optimal amount of resources to heavy, medium and light tasks for unprecedented levels of efficiency, simultaneously improving the performance of the SoC while enhancing the battery life. The Kirin 980 is also the industry’s first SoC to be equipped with Dual-NPU, granting it higher On-Device AI processing capability to support any and all AI applications.

HUAWEI Mate 20 Pro is the world’s first smartphone to support the 4.5G LTE Cat. 21 standard, allowing consumers to experience download speeds of up to 1.4Gbps. It also supports the world’s fastest Wi-Fi connection speeds--2GB footage requires only 10 seconds to download. The top-end flagship also supports dual-band (L1+L5) GPS positioning technology. The AI GPS Satellite Selection technology enhances the positioning accuracy across a wide range of scenarios.

Huawei Phone - Press Photo

Besides superb performance, the HUAWEI Mate 20 Series also features groundbreaking improvement on battery life. The HUAWEI Mate 20 Pro houses a large, high-density 4200mAh battery, and supports 40W HUAWEI SuperCharge, which gives the device 70 percent charge in 30 minutes. The safety of the technology is certified by TÜV Rheinland.

The HUAWEI Mate 20 X supports an ultra-large 5000mAh battery, and is equipped with a revolutionary HUAWEI super cool system that uses a combination of graphene film and vapor chamber to deliver outstanding cooling performance. With the cooling system in place, the CPU and GPU embedded in HUAWEI Mate 20 X can remain at full throttle for an extended period of time and deliver the smoothest and most satisfying gaming experience to consumers. The HUAWEI super cool system also marks the first time graphene is utilized to cool smartphones.

Matrix Camera System

Building on the foundation of HUAWEI P20 Series’ camera system, Huawei augmented the HUAWEI Mate 20 with a powerful addition—16mm Leica Ultra Wide Angle Lens. This wider perspective creates a sense of spaciousness and a three dimensional effect to the images. The new camera system also supports macro distance, which produces crisp images of objects that are placed as close as 2.5cm from the lens. The added ultra-wide angle lens and macro support completes the feature set of the camera system, elevating it to a truly all-round camera that is ready to capture any and all action. The HUAWEI Mate 20 Pro is equipped with a 40MP main camera, a 20 MP ultra wide-angle camera, and an 8 MP telephoto camera. Together, the trio of lenses supports a wide range of focal lengths (equivalent to the performance of a 16-270mm zoom lens), enabling it to mimic the results from professional cameras.

The HUAWEI Mate 20 Series also features an AI Portrait Color video mode. Using AI, the HUAWEI Mate 20 Series can isolate human subjects and desaturate the colors around them to dramatically highlight the person. AI Spotlight Reel identifies clips with a shared theme and auto-generates a montage, made entirely of highlights.

HUAWEI Mate 20 Pro and PORSCHE DESIGN HUAWEI Mate 20 RS both support 3D Face Unlock. The solution quickly and securely authenticates users within 0.6s at a false acceptance rate of below 1/1,000,000. Using the 3D Depth Sensing Camera System located at the front, the two devices can accurately read the facial features of a subject and recognize even small details. Besides user authentication, this suite of sensors also enables the portrait beautification effects to be realized in a more natural and effective way.

Huawei Phones - Press Photo

EMUI 9 Enables a Quality Life

The HUAWEI Mate 20 Series comes with EMUI 9.0, a smart operating system based on Android P. Through AI self-learning algorithms, an integrated and granular resource allocation system, and a highly optimized Android environment, EMUI 9 delivers an “evergreen” experience—it remains smooth even through extended use.

EMUI 9.0 incorporates a unified, ergonomic design and a streamlined settings menu. The new gesture navigation support allows users to effortlessly interact with their devices using just taps and swipes. It also introduces new AI features that enable the HUAWEI Mate 20 Series to perform or enhance a range of tasks from object identification to food calorie counting . Using 3D Live Object Modeling, consumers can even create a fun digital avatar to dance or interact with.

As a key pillar supporting Huawei’s all-connected, all-scenario ecosystem, HUAWEI Share 3.0 delivers a revolutionary improvement in device interconnection, allowing users to transfer files between smartphones and PC. This is an innovative, Huawei-proprietary solution that enables device interconnectivity. It revolutionizes the way people transfer images and videos: all it takes is one tap to establish a connection between a smartphone and PC for easy and fast file sharing .

Futuristic Design

As an expression of the HUAWEI Mate Series DNA, all devices carry a FullView display with a high screen-to-body ratio. Compactly engineered, every device from the 6.39-inch HUAWEI Mate 20 Pro to the 7.2-inch HUAWEI Mate 20 X can be comfortably used with a single hand.

The grace of natural elements is captured on the design of the HUAWEI Mate 20 Series. In particular the HUAWEI Mate 20 Pro’s chassis is curved on all eight sides—a marvel to behold, and a pleasure to hold in the hand. For the PORSCHE DESIGN HUAWEI Mate 20 RS, Huawei and Porsche Design ingeniously combined race track elements with premium materials to create a device that exudes elegance and offers a firm, ergonomic grip.

The Matrix Camera array on the back of the HUAWEI Mate 20 Series features a four-point design with the three cameras and sensor encircled in a polished metal frame, producing an avant-garde look that is both bold and distinct. The flagship series comes in a new Emerald Green colorway, which is as brilliant as its namesake gemstone. The Hyper Optical Pattern on the glass back uses a complex hairline pattern to produce an iridescent effect that is not only highly durable, but also makes the device easy to grip and fingerprint resistant. The devices retain a clean look even when they have been used extensively.

The new HUAWEI Mate 20 Series, as well as HUAWEI WATCH GT, HUAWEI Band 3 Pro will go on sale in countries including the U.K., France, Italy and United Arab Emirates soon.

The HUAWEI Mate 20 (4GB + 128GB configuration) will have a MSRP of EUR799 and the HUAWEI Mate 20 (6GB + 128GB configuration) will have a MSRP of EUR849 from 16th October, 2018.

The HUAWEI Mate 20 Pro (6GB + 128GB configuration) will have a MSRP of EUR1049 from 16th October, 2018.

The HUAWEI Mate 20 X (6GB + 128GB configuration) will have a MSRP of EUR899 from 26th October, 2018.
The PORSCHE DESIGN HUAWEI Mate 20 RS (8GB + 256GB configuration) will have a MSRP of EUR1695, and the PORSCHE DESIGN HUAWEI Mate 20 RS (8GB + 512GB configuration) will have a MSRP of EUR2095 from 16th November, 2018.

Embodying exquisite design, powerful performance, extraordinary capturing capabilities and next-generation intelligence, the new HUAWEI Mate 20 Series is the partner of choice for professionals pursuing quality of life.

]]>11/13/2018 1:13:01 PM“It helps a lot mentally ... to feel beautiful and to feel that the medicine didn’t change us,” said Khalil, 46, who suffers from multiple myeloma, a blood plasma cancer.

The workshop is part of a program already in operation in Lebanon and the United Arab Emirates called “Be Beautiful” that will be launched this month in at least seven hospitals in Egypt. It will offer women cancer patients makeup tips as well as mental health support and advice about nutrition.

“When the cancer patient feels that she is beautiful and when she gets proper nutrition that will have a positive effect on her mental state and that strengthens her immune system,” said Hanadi el-Imam, founder of the Hoda el-Imam Foundation, which is organizing the workshops.

She said the aim is to offer the workshops in five Egyptian governorates within a year.

Faten Fawzi, a breast cancer patient who was among a group of five patients learning how to paint their eyebrows and apply conditioner on dry skin at the Cairo Marriott Hotel, said she felt like her hair was burned after chemo.

“I went to my hairdresser and he shaved it off completely and I was devastated and started crying,” Fawzi, 46, told Reuters.

“But after that I put on a chic wig that looked like my hair and you couldn’t tell at all that I had cancer.”

While she recently got rid of the wig, Fawzi said she still paints her eyebrows and cares about her makeup routine because it makes her feel better.

Ghada Salah who was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2013, said she started to experiment with different wigs and colorful hats after she lost her hair to chemotherapy.

“I didn’t want to look sick,” she said. “I didn’t want people to think ‘poor her, she has cancer.’”

The organizers hope to serve 5,000 Egyptian women in the first year, said Dina Omar, a cardiologist and one of the founders of Be Beautiful.

Globally, cancer is responsible for one in six deaths, according to the World Health Organization. Approximately 70 percent of deaths from cancer happen in low- and middle-income countries, WHO said.]]>11/13/2018 11:53:16 AMReflecting the latest trends in the world of architecture and design, this innovative project will allow AUC students majoring in design, architecture and business to start submitting drafts, as teams, for new designs and full business cases to beautify the water tower. TAMEER, as a gift for the city of New Cairo, will implement the winning design.

Being a pioneering player in the industry since 1954, TAMEER, attained this partnership, which falls in-line with the company’s interest in contributing to the global trend to beautify less attractive buildings across the skyline, and to offer a real opportunity to educate on how art, design and architecture should be collaborating.

"Tameer’s portfolio extended over more than 60 years and comprises such architectural masterpieces, the thing that makes us true witnesses to the architectural scene in Egypt. Our aim is to show that architecture and design can be both beautiful and practical," said Antoine El Khoury, Managing Director of TAMEER. "The world is becoming a lot more competitive and without future generations of creative and unique architectures to inspire the real estate sector, Egypt, is likely to fall behind.

This is why competitions and collaborations of this nature are so important,” he went on to say.

As part of the project, students will be required to share not only designs but also engineering and architectural footprints in addition to visibility plans and budgets. From the submissions, 3 finalists will be chosen by an independent jury comprised of representatives of TAMEER and the AUC community, in addition to urban designers from the New Cairo local Authority. The winner will then be selected from among the finalists by TAMEER’s board of directors.

The competition will be open to students in a variety of academic fields, including engineering, business, graphic design, architecture and marketing. "Such competitions increase students’ awareness of market trends, advance their career readiness and distinguish them in the job market,” said Maha Guindi, Executive Director of AUC's Career Center and a member of the Water Tower Beautification Committee.

Guindi further added, “By opening the competition up to such a wide segment of students, the hope is to offer a comprehensive hands-on experience and allow them to develop concepts that are both practical and beautiful.”

Two teams will receive a financial award, while the winning team will be offered an educational trip to Beirut. The cultural trip will function as a mini-internship with Solidere, the company behind the post-war urban regeneration of Beirut Central District.

Highlighting the important experience the competition will provide, Magda Mostafa, Associate Professor and Associate Chair of AUC’s Department of Architecture and a representative of the Water Tower Beautification Committee, said, "We want the students to learn to operate under a strict budget, and according to a defined brand identity and other criteria. All this will prepare them for the real working world."

The decorated water tower will serve the community, as the project’s main aim is to carve landmarks for the city of New Cairo to last forever. The competition also aspires for the tower to serve as a source of inspiration for those living in and around the area and to motivate upcoming generations of students to be creative and contribute to the community.
]]>11/12/2018 6:06:00 PMThe gritty Brooklyn waterfront neighborhood where she lived celebrated mightily, but a grim legacy of the war went on to take an even deadlier toll.

“People filled the streets. It was so exciting, even though I wasn’t exactly sure what was happening,” Marie Starace recalled years later. “They were laughing, crying, and singing. Some men fired guns into the air.

“A woman fell to her knees in the street with her hands together as if she was praying. She was crying so hard that looking at her made me cry, too.” Despite the passage of time, my grandmother’s eyes filled with tears as she described the scene.

Later in life, during many tea-soaked storytelling sessions with me about her life, Armistice Day remained a vivid memory for my grandmother.

The cessation of hostilities had been anticipated for days. There had even been an inaccurate report of an armistice on Nov. 7. It finally came to pass on Nov. 11, a date the adventurous little girl, who was mostly called Mary, was sure to remember.

A multitude headed to the 14th Regiment Armory on 8th Avenue in Brooklyn, she told me, and my grandmother made the long walk from the docks with them. To this day a bronze of a “doughboy,” as soldiers in the American Expeditionary Forces were known, stands there in the name of the “Men of the 14th Infantry who were engaged in the World War 1917-1918.” The sculpture was donated by families who lost loved ones in the war.

The crowds swelled and marched on to where soldiers were gathering near Prospect Park at the Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Arch, dedicated to those who fought to defend the union in the U.S. Civil War. The sight of the soldiers brought the throng to fever pitch.

“Soldiers were already marching by the time I got to the park. When I saw the parade, I thought they were celebrating my birthday!”

She marched with them, she said, fondly recalling a soldier who gave her a nickel. It was a precious gift, good for a small sack of flour or some apples in a neighborhood where families, including her own, scraped at times to make ends meet, hard times made harder by the war.

On the steps of a house not far from where she lived, my grandmother saw a young man sitting quietly by himself. “I wondered why he seemed so sad,” she remembered. She asked her mother, my great-grandmother, about him. “Mamma said, ‘Leave him alone, Mary. He’s shell-shocked.”

The suffering and deprivation the war wrought hung heavy over Europe and the United States like so much cannon-fire smoke as people struggled to restore equilibrium to a shattered world.

Soldiers returned home broken, with mental and physical wounds, some with lungs burned raw by mustard gas, others with the Spanish flu, called La Grippe in Europe and “The Grippe” in Brooklyn. The war to end all wars claimed some 17 million lives.

The pandemic killed at least 50 million worldwide, about 675,000 in the United States, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimated in its 100th-year commemoration of the flu pandemic.

For the daughter of ship’s pilot Salvatore Starace and Antonia Esposito, “the grippe” was another indelible childhood memory. New York City’s Health Department struggled to contain the disease, quarantining stricken households and restricting public gatherings.

My grandmother recounted bodies being put on ice inside horse-drawn trucks as morgues filled up. Hospital staffs were depleted by the flu, and my grandmother told of men who had been medics in the Army pitching in.

Her maternal uncle, Alexander Esposito, who served with the U.S. Army, was one of them. “Uncle Allie volunteered to help at the hospital because he had some medical training,” she told me. “Mamma was worried that he would get the flu and die.”

In Brooklyn alone in 1918, 4,514 people died from influenza from a population of 1,798,513, according to almanacs published in 1918 and 1920 by the Brooklyn Daily Eagle newspaper.

California's new governor vows to toughen up gun laws
Until she died in 1996, whenever my grandmother saw me going out with an open coat, she warned: “Button up or you’ll get the grippe.”

By many written and photographic accounts New York City threw caution to the wind on Armistice Day.

“I never saw anything like that day,” she told me.]]>11/11/2018 1:21:29 PMBut the 81-year-old, known for his colorful depictions of Los Angeles swimming pools and the countryside of his native Yorkshire, is brushing off the attention.

“I ignore it,” Hockney told Reuters on the sidelines of an awards ceremony late on Wednesday. “I have the vanity of an artist, I want my work to be seen, but I don’t have to be seen.”

SPONSORED

Set against a lush green landscape, “Portrait of an Artist (Pool with Two Figures)” is one of Hockney’s most famous works, depicting a man in a pink jacket looking down on another figure swimming underwater in a pool.

Composed ahead of a exhibition in New York, the 1972 canvas was inspired by two photographs, including one of Hockney’s former partner.

Auction house Christie’s, which says the painting is “poised to become the most valuable work of art by a living artist ever sold at auction”, estimates a price tag “in the range of $80 million” for its Nov. 15 sale in New York.

If it meets that figure, that would smash the price tag of current record holder, Jeff Koons’ stainless steel “Balloon Dog (Orange)” sculpture, which sold for $58.4 million in 2013.

Hockney, who recently designed a stained glass window in honor of Queen Elizabeth at Westminster Abbey, is considered one of Britain’s most influential artists.

On Wednesday night, he was recognized with an award for his contribution to printmaking by Norway’s Queen Sonja’s art foundation. Asked about future projects, Hockney said he had set his sights on France: “I am planning to travel to Normandy next year to do the arrival of spring.”]]>11/10/2018 12:50:59 PM“Huawei takes pride in being a pioneer in On-Device Artificial Intelligence, shaping the evolution of smartphones into intelligent tools that understand users in order to assist them. Through innovative features such as a revolutionary Matrix Camera System, a long-lasting battery and the groundbreaking Reverse Charging, the HUAWEI Mate 20 Series aims to empower users by responding to their daily needs and allowing them to fully immerse into today's digital world” said Gene Jiao President of Huawei CBG, Middle East and Africa.

Following a mesmerizing animation and a lightshow projection on the Burj Khalifa, an informative presentation about the brand's performance in the region and how Huawei has grown to become the 2nd largest smartphone brand regionally and globally was given by Gene Jiao. H.E. Saeed Hareb, Secretary General of Dubai Sports Council was welcomed on stage to announce the second year of collaboration between Huawei and Dubai Sports Council, as Huawei will be the official presenting partner of the Beach Soccer Intercontinental Cup.

“Huawei is a brand that is a strong supporter of the UAE Government's innovation vision as well as community initiatives and they are as passionate as we are about connecting people through sports and other activities, and moments that unite the region. So it is a great pleasure for us to see Huawei continue with the title-sponsorship of the Intercontinental Beach Soccer Cup Dubai for a second year running, and they are an active partner in a number of other events and activities as well” said H.E. Saeed Hareb, Secretary General of Dubai Sports Council.

Gene Jiao and H.E Saeed Hareb jointly unboxed and unveiled the new Huawei Mate 20 series on stage. Designed with the industry's most powerful and sophisticated process technology, the latest Huawei devices set a new bar by which all 2018 smartphones will be measured.

Revolutionary Matrix Camera system

The HUAWEI Mate 20 Pro is equipped with a 40MP main camera, a 20MP ultra wide-angle camera, and an 8MP telephoto camera. Together, the trio of lenses supports a wide range of focal lengths enabling it to mimic the results from professional cameras. This wider perspective creates a sense of spaciousness and a three dimensional effect to the images. The new camera system also supports macro distance, which produces crisp images of objects that are laces as closed as 2.5 cm from the lens. The HUAWEI Mate 20 Series also features an AI Portrait Color video mode. Using AI, the HUAWEI Mate 20 Series can isolate human subjects and desaturate the colors around them to dramatically highlight the person. AI Spotlight Reel identifies clips with a shared theme and auto-generates a montage, made entirely of highlights.

Besides superb performance, the HUAWEI Mate 20 Series also features groundbreaking improvement on battery life. It houses a large, high-density 4200mAh battery, which is available on Mate 20 pro only, and supports 40W HUAWEI SuperCharge, which gives the device 70 percent charge in 30 minutes. The safety of the technology is certified by TÜV Rheinland.

Huawei Consumer Business Group (CBG) unveiled the much-anticipated HUAWEI Mate 20 Series to users in the Middle East and Africa region

Biometric Identification and In-screen Fingerprint

HUAWEI Mate 20 Pro and PORSCHE DESIGN HUAWEI Mate 20 RS both support 3D Face Unlock. The solution quickly and securely authenticates users within 0.6s at a false acceptance rate of below 1/1,000,000. Using the 3D Depth Sensing Camera System located at the front, the two devices can accurately read the facial features of a subject and recognize even small details. Besides user authentication, this suite of sensors also enables the portrait beautification effects to be realized in a more natural and effective way.

The HUAWEI mate 20 series also features an in-screen fingerprint sensor. The company has evolved the design of its in-screen fingerprint sensor to achieve better speed and success rates. It can pinpoint the location of a user's finger on the screen, and remove the on-screen prompt immediately when a user removes his or her finger.

Kirin 980 Chipset

The SoC at the core of smartphones has a determining factor in a device's performance and efficiency. Manufactured with the cutting-edge 7nm technology process, the SoC fits 6.9 billion transistors within a die the size of a fingernail. Compared to Kirin 970, the latest chipset is equipped with CPU that is 75 percent more powerful, GPU that is 46 percent more powerful and NPU that is 226 percent more powerful. Furthermore, the efficiency of the components has also been elevated: the CPU is 58 percent more efficient, GPU is 178 percent more efficient, and the NPU is 182 percent more efficient. The Kirin 980 is the world's first commercial SoC to use the Cortex-A76-based cores. The Kirin 980 is also the industry's first SoC to be equipped with Dual-NPU, granting it higher On-Device AI processing capability to support any and all AI applications.

EMUI 9 Enables a Quality Life

The HUAWEI Mate 20 Series comes with EMUI 9.0, a smart operating system based on Android P. Through AI self-learning algorithms, the operating system delivers an “evergreen” experience—it remains smooth even through extended use. It also features a new gesture navigation support allowing users to effortlessly interact with their devices using just taps and swipes. In addition it enables the HUAWEI Mate 20 Series to perform or enhance a range of tasks from object identification to food calorie counting by simply pointing camera towards objects. It is also able to recognize famous paintings and landmarks. Using 3D Live Object Modeling, consumers can even create a fun digital avatar to dance or interact with.

Through the newly introduced Hi-vision feature which was customized for the region's users in partnership with DTCM, the devices from Huawei will be able to recognize Dubai's most prominent landmarks and give users useful information about each landmark.

Mr Issam Kazim, CEO, Dubai Corporation for Tourism and Commerce Marketing said, “At Dubai Tourism, we are continuously seeking partnerships and creative collaborations to promote the emirate as a destination of choice for global travellers. Huawei's leadership and reach across China and MENA make them an excellent partner for our outreach efforts. As a brand known for putting people at the heart of its technology, and for driving a culture of innovation and continuous improvement, Huawei shares many values with Dubai. It was this meeting of minds that enabled an exciting partnership to be inked between our two entities and we are excited to have collaborated with them to produce the Mate 20 HiVision capability, a feature which showcases Dubai's prominent landmarks, acting as an intelligent guide for tourists in the city and raising awareness about Dubai's key achievements.

With smartphone photography being one of the signatures of Huawei and the camera being one of the strongest features of the new flagship devices, Huawei has also collaborated with Hamdan International Photography Award (HIPA) to introduce a smartphone photography category for the first time ever, making the competition accessible to smartphone photography enthusiasts.

The event took place at Burj Park where the audience was treated to a Huawei lightshow projected on the city's most prominent landmark, the Burj Khalifa.

PORSCHE DESIGN HUAWEI Mate 20 RS

It is the latest mobile luxury device created through the collaboration between Porsche Design and Huawei. As the fourth handset to join the exclusive line-up, PORSCHE DESIGN HUAWEI Mate 20 RS continues the tradition set by its predecessors, blending state-of the-art technology with uncompromising design. The iconic automotive design element is incorporated into the back of the PORSCHE DESIGN HUAWEI Mate 20 RS—a device with the Rennsport “RS” designation—with a luxury twist. The PORSCHE DESIGN HUAWEI Mate 20 RS racing stripe motifs are put together with all-natural leather and glass. The leather sides add a natural, personal touch to the design, symbolizing the consumer-centric ethos that drives Porsche Design and Huawei, whilst giving a more luxurious look to the device. Together with perfectly rounded edges, the soft natural leather ensures a firm, ergonomic grip and premium touch that evokes the feeling of complete control.

HUAWEI WATCH GT

In addition to the HUAWEI Mate 20 Series, the powerful HUAWEI WATCH GT was also unveiled during the event.

The HUAWEI WATCH GT integrates all the functional specifications in a 10.6mm thick compact body to the maximum extent, being a lot thinner than similar products on the market. It is suitable for both genders and is of popular sports design with a large screen and is cell equipped, also comprising full circle dial and bezel, crown, ear and more. It applies the industry leading innovative GPS technology – the GPS chip – making it capable of supporting the simultaneous positioning of three satellite systems for rapid and accurate positioning, completely recording all outdoor exercises data with utmost accuracy.

The watch also boasts power consumption thanks to its low-speed engine enabling it to use 1/6 of the power similar products would. It also comes with a strong endurance – displayed in its different scenarios such as the 24 hour one where heart rate and scientific sleeping functions are activated, GPS open during 90 minutes exercise session, 6 incoming calls, 3 alarm reminders as well as screen brightening for 200 times.

Huawei Music Service

Also available is the Huawei Music Service, users will get access to millions of songs including exclusive music from top artists. It also comes with a unique Super Quality music experience along with Party Mode enabling up to 8 devices to play the same music at the same time and the innovative Running Mode that matches the rhythm of your music to your steps.

]]>11/8/2018 5:17:17 PMHuawei Phone - Press Photo

World’s First Camera Equipped with Leica Ultra Wide Angle Lens

Huawei Mate 20 pro, world’s best smartphone camera is now better than ever with introducing the Matrix Camera System that comprises a 40MP RGBW camera (Wide Angle 27mm, f/1.8), a 20MP camera with Leica Ultra Wide Angle Lens (f/2.2) and a 8MP telephoto camera (3x Telephoto 80mm, f/2.4, OIS), while on the front, there is a single 24MP camera. An ultra-wide angle lens enables users to capture an impressively wide perspective even within the confines of tight spaces. The images captured are crisp, clean and have a high contrast, which gives the image a three-dimensional effect. Together, the trio of lenses supports a wide range of focal lengths (equivalent to the performance of a 16-270mm zoom lens), enabling it to mimic the results from professional cameras.

The capabilities of the Leica Ultra Wide Angle Lens are exemplified in tight spaces. With it, users can easily create a sense of spaciousness. It is ideal for capturing natural marvels such as vast plains, flower fields and mountain ranges, making it an ideal travel companion.

The HUAWEI Mate 20 Pro also features an AI Portrait Color video mode. Using AI, the HUAWEI Mate 20 Series can isolate human subjects and de-saturate the colors around them to dramatically high lighten the person. AI Spotlight Reel identifies clips with a shared theme and auto-generates a montage, made entirely of highlights.

NEW AND IMPROVED MASTER AI

The Master AI image recognition capability gets an upgrade with HUAWEI Mate 20 Series. On HUAWEI Mate 20 Pro, the camera can recognize 1,500 scenarios across 25 categories. AI helps you optimize your colors so that every shot comes out perfect from the get-go—saving you from the hassle that is post-processing.

HIVISION

With HiVision2, the HUAWEI Mate 20 Pro is an encyclopedia that ﬁts in a pocket. HiVision leverages the AI capabilities of the device to identify various objects in the real world.
With only a few weeks to go until Huawei launches the Mate 20 Pro in Egypt next month, we can only wait with bated breath to see how the new avant-garde smartphone will add ease and efficiency into our lives.

Established more than 25 years ago, the Top Employers Institute has certified over 1,500 organizations in 118 countries and is among the most prestigious human resource (HR) awards out there.

Still, this is not at all new for Vodafone Egypt. After all, the company has been the employer of choice for the last five years in a number of different renowned awards and holds the Top Employer Certification Award from Top Employer Global Institute.

On the international scene, Vodafone is also doing most of the groundwork for companies by leading the way in employee satisfaction.

The prestigious company has led other companies worldwide by demonstrating a positive and diverse workplace culture, talent strategy, career and succession management, and compensation and benefits. Most often, Vodafone is cited for its more than excellent support of women in the workplace.

Between ensuring that women are supported in the workplace, to providing working mothers with an on-site nursery, to a longer-than-normal paid maternity leave, to producing opportunities for women through developmental courses and training programs, Vodafone Egypt has more than earned the Certified Top Employer in 2019 Award for its stellar employee conditions.

In Vodafone Egypt, women hold about 50% of the senior positions; a fact that strongly supports the company’s women economic empowerment and social empowerment messages, which we have seen them carry out through their giving-back-to-the-community programs, as well as their internal and external strategies.

Vodafone Egypt does not simply aim to empower women, they strive for excellence at all levels, and to support all their employees by providing them with appropriate opportunities based on each individual’s needs.

As a result, the company, in accordance with the Egyptian government and Ministry of Manpower’s plan, dedicates 5% of its positions for individuals with special needs, including blind and visually impaired individuals.

Through providing fully accessible premises and a safe working environment for people with special needs, as well as investing in internationally-leading, state-of-the-art modern technology to transmit text and information displayed on computer screens into a form that is suitable for a visually impaired employee, Vodafone Egypt is playing a positive role towards the integration and empowerment of those with special needs.

Equity and equality in opportunity is key to creating a supporting and happy workplace for Vodafone Egypt.

Progressing, feeling appreciated and awarded, and having the chance to move up the ladder is a central focus of Vodafone Egypt, therefore, they provide employees with top-not personal and professional growth opportunities through online and classroom training programs. Through digital and more traditional platforms, Vodafone Egypt provides a multitude of learning and developing opportunities.

But that is not all. No, not even close. Vodafone Egypt, unlike most companies in Egypt, helps employees plan their career and future! The company helps employees find out about career options, possible employment routes, and teaches them how to progress within the industry. The company also offers plenty of training opportunities to ensure their employees gain the skills and experiences needed for them to reach their desires post.

Additionally, the reward scheme that Vodafone Egypt has in place helps keep individuals motivated and pushes them to work on becoming the best version of themselves.

As a company that pushes for the best, the well-being of employees is a central focus of Vodafone Egypt. Therefore, Vodafone Egypt has a Health & Safety team that works on optimizing the workplace atmosphere and ensuring a safe workplace that adheres to international office health and safety standards.

Put all these efforts together and one can simply see how Vodafone Egypt was able to land the Top Employer 2019 Award.

Between their excellent HR practices and strategies, their performance management, and their workforce planning, Vodafone Egypt was able to align their policies on an international scale and put their best foot forward, building a comfortable and safe workspace for employees to thrive.

As an independent certifying body, the Top Employers Institute awards companies that have a minimum standard, which is put in place by the Institute; the institute assesses participants through their global HR Best Practices Survey.

Commenting on why the awarded companies receive such a high award, CEO of Top Employers Institute David Plink said, “We believe that the 2019 certified organizations demonstrate exceptional employee conditions and encourage the development of these practices by putting their people first. These companies help enrich the world of work with their outstanding dedication to HR excellence and because of this, they are recognized as an employer of choice.”

Vodafone Egypt has earned its place on the list of awarded companies through their hard work and their employee-friendly strategies.

More importantly, Vodafone Egypt was able to earn its place in the hearts and minds of its employees.
]]>11/7/2018 1:47:38 PM“Tutu”, an art work by Nigeria’s best-known modern artist, Ben Enwonwu, was painted in 1974. It appeared at an art show in Lagos the following year, but its whereabouts after that were unknown, until it re-surfaced in north London.

The owners - who wished to remain anonymous - had called in Giles Peppiatt, an expert in modern and contemporary African art at the London auction house Bonhams, to identify their painting. He recognized Enwonwu’s portrait.

“It was discovered by myself on a pretty routine valuation call to look at a work by Ben Enwonwu,” said Giles Peppiatt, director of contemporary African art at Bonhams. “I didn’t know what I was going to see. I turned up, and it was this amazing painting. We’d had no inkling ‘Tutu’ was there.

How it got there remains a bit of a mystery, Peppiatt said.

“All the family that owned it know is that it was owned by their father, who had business interests in Nigeria. He traveled and picked it up in the late or mid-70s.”

The family put the portrait up for sale, and it was auctioned for 1.2 million pounds ($1.57 million) in February to an anonymous buyer. The sale made it the highest-valued work of Nigerian modern art sold at auction.

“Tutu” was loaned to the Art X Lagos fair, held from Friday to Sunday, by Access Bank, the organizers said in a statement. Peppiatt said Access arranged the loan but is not the painting’s owner.

“‘Tutu’ is referred to as the African ‘Mona Lisa’ by virtue of this disappearance and re-emergence, and it is the first work of a modern Nigerian artist to sell for over a million pounds,” said Tokini Peterside, the art fair’s founder.

The original Mona Lisa, Leonardo da Vinci’s masterpiece, was stolen from the Louvre in 1911. The thief, Vincenzo Peruggia, eventually took it to Italy, where it was recovered and in 1914 returned to the Louvre.

The Nigerian painting is a portrait of Adetutu Ademiluyi, a grand-daughter of a traditional ruler from the Yoruba ethnic group. It holds special significance in Nigeria as a symbol of national reconciliation after the 1967-70 Biafran War.

Enwonwu belonged to the Igbo ethnic group, the largest in the southeastern region of Nigeria, which had tried to secede under the name of Biafra. The Yoruba, whose homeland is in the southwest, were mostly on the opposing side in the war.

Enwonwu painted three versions of the portrait. One is in a private collection in Lagos, while Peppiatt is hunting the third in Washington D.C., the expert said. Prints first made in the 1970s have been in circulation ever since and the images are familiar to many Nigerians. Enwonwu died in 1994.]]>11/7/2018 11:57:57 AMThe 33-year-old from Lincolnshire began his epic swim from the same Kent beach on June 1, spending 12 hours a day in the water on his 1,780-mile quest clockwise around the coast.

As he approached the English seaside town he was joined by 300 swimmers for the last mile and two planes provided by Red Bull, who supported his venture, etched a heart in the morning sky.

In August Edgley, who only left the water to sleep and eat in his support boat, broke the record for the longest stage sea swim of 73 days set by Benoit Lecomte, who swam across the Atlantic Ocean in 1998.

He said his initial plan was to set a new record for the world’s longest ‘current neutral’ swim but after spending two days with the Royal Marines was told that idea was “a bit lame”.

“One of the guys said ‘man up and swim around Britain’ and I thought ‘yeah, that’s got a ring to it’,” Edgley told Reuters as three large pizzas were delivered to him at Margate’s iconic theme park Dreamland.

“I met (boat crew skipper) Matt Knight and after a five-minute chat we said ‘let’s do this’.

“We left on June 1, probably a bit naive, and got to Isle of Wight, then thought if we can get there we can get to Land’s End, and if we can get there we can get to Scotland.”

JELLYFISH STINGS

While racing across shipping channels and dealing with ever-changing tides was challenging, Edgley, who in 2016 completed the world’s longest rope climb, equivalent to the height of Mount Everest, and once pulled a car around a marathon, said the jellyfish stings were the worst, especially at night.

“That’s when you don’t even know what kind of jellyfish it was,” Edgley, who broke four world records during his journey, said. “I remember the huge natural whirlpool in the Gulf of Corryvreckan, I got badly stung.

“It was searing pain. I popped my head out to ask the crew what was happening and they told me it was still attached to my face. Its tentacles were caught in my goggles and it was slapping me in the face.”

Edgley also had to contend with a ‘disintegrating tongue’ caused by immersion in salt water, chafing sores from his wetsuit which his crew named “Rhino Neck” and near hypothermia.

It was not all bad though. A balmy British summer helped and there were only two ‘named’ storms to endure.

Swimmer Ross Edgley reacts after completing his round-Britain swim, on Margate beach, Britain November 4, 2018. REUTERS/Marian F. Moratinos
He also got support, in various forms.

“My favorite day was in the Bristol Channel near Lundy Island,” he recalled. “I had spent three days battling the strong tides when a minke whale breached next to me. For five miles swam under me and to the side of me.

“It was a female and we think she thought she was guiding an injured seal!”

There was also a memorable cake delivery in Scotland.

Mayweather to fight in Japan on New Year's Eve
“In the Hebrides I was resting one morning when a lady named Iona, swam out to the boat, with a cake resting on her head,” he said. “She had been following my swim and saw the boat from her house and decided to bake a cake and swim out with it.

“It was still warm, it was incredible. It didn’t last long!”

It made a change from bananas. Edgley estimates he munched 500 during his epic journey and burned 500,000 calories.]]>11/5/2018 11:37:22 AMA total of 13 sessions will be held during the World Youth Forum's second day.

On Nov. 1 and 2, the forum witnessed pre-workshops related to the "Agenda 2063: The Africa We Want" and "Empowering Persons with Disabilities: Towards a More Integrated World."

The opening of the World Youth Theater took place on Friday, November 2. The actual discussion sessions are planned to start on November 4, where participants will discuss a number of issues, including differences among cultures and civilizations, the role of world leaders in building and sustaining peace, the role of soft power in countering ideological extremism and terrorism, and Day Zero: Water security in the wake of climate change.

On November 5, the sessions will tackle the role of entrepreneurs and start-ups in global economic growth, rebuilding societies and states after conflicts, narrowing the gender gap in the labor market and humanitarian assistance: A global responsibility in the face of challenges.

The forum's closing session and the announcement of the World Youth Forum 2018's recommendations will take place on Nov. 6.

]]>11/4/2018 1:54:00 PMThis collection of passionate talents, despite the advanced professionalism of many of them, attended the workshop because it was not an ordinary course. Organized by the U.S. embassy at KMT House co-working space in partnership with Parsons School of Design professors John Bruce and Mark Randall, the 5 busy days were hoped to result in social impact through design, something the participants strongly wish to ultimately achieve.

Design strategy, service design, or creative intervention, is an approach.

“We’ve all been surprise with the response that the embassy got to this idea, so there’s a hunger for this idea in the creative economy or the creative community of Egypt and the entrepreneurial community to kind of work together to kind of fig out these challenging issues” Randall told Egypt Today Oct. 18, on the last day of the workshop.

Randall and Bruce deliver similar courses at Parson’s School of Design and also off campus in New York to people from around the globe, yet it was their first time in a different country.

“They were incredibly open to us, outsiders coming from another place with a basket full of ideas, I’ve never felt welcome more quickly and more deeply,” Bruce said.

Professor Mark Randall at the workshop - Egypt Today/Hanan Fayed

The design workshop was about ways of thinking of complex systems, what is happening in certain situation from a human level and finding opportunities to co-create a way forward with the creative idea.

As diverse as the participants and their projects were, they all shared a “deep commitment to Egypt,” which gave the facilitators a glimpse into the needs of the Egyptian society.

Empowerment, city, health and culture are the main themes that emerged.

Empowering women, children and youth, education, mobility, using art to engage people in public space, education, are some of the ideas below the four umbrellas. Deregulating office hours to reduce traffic congestion, protecting the urban forest by “adopting a tree” were other ideas under the theme “city.”

“A big goal for the program was that they carry out their projects forward and can clearly articulate what they wanna do to get funding,” Bruce said.

Identity of a place

The majority of the participants were female. Buce had an observation on their attitude.

“There are females who are ready to be leaders, but not leaders in a patriarchal or masculine way. They understand their own energy; they understand the uniqueness of it... So there was a freedom, there was a celebration, there was bonding, there was no attention around that and so I was really impressed once again with these very powerful capable and creative women,” Bruce said.

Participant Hala Abotaleb spoke to Egypt Today about her startup idea about projecting identity positively inside homes. Her experience at the workshop was enriching.

“To wake up in the morning and find so many ideas on how this works with that, and they [fulan and flan] were great advisers in terms of how to integrate all this, so they kept zooming out and in. There were much of joining of ideas that helped me a lot,” Abotaleb said.

She wants to name her startup “Hawiya,” identity in Arabic. She studied psychology for many years, has experience in interior design and hopes to combine the two disciplines.

Designer Hala Abotaleb (middle) helps with a presentation at the conclusion of the Design + social impact workshop - Photo courtesy of the U.S. embassy in Cairo

“The place where we live programs us differently and constantly sends us visual, auditory and sensory messages… if we designed the messages from the beginning, the place will give us messages for our wellbeing. To integrate the place with lively things, like agriculture, I pay great attention to that, so that I and my children will give another dimension for the place.”

Abotaleb is interested in observing how a place “looks like” the people who live in it, and in readying the messages that reveal the identity of a particular family.
“People shape the space, and the space shapes their memories,” she said.
The social impact of Hawiya is people’s well-being and connection with themselves.

Hala Abotaleb - Egypt Today/HananFayed

“ I take them into a journey, what’s your identity, what are the messages that you feel are of core value in the family, so it’s a self-discovery journey from which we can come up with the message they want to create,” Abotaleb explained.

In Hawiya, participants will learn how to “extract” messages from within themselves through art and crafts, and will take these messages home with them to shape the space they spend a lot of their time in. They will execute some of their own ideas, and Abotaleb will help them with the things they cannot do themselves.

This can grow to the level of neighbors in an apartment building, a street, or an entire district. The project may focus on interior design, but people’s identity and messages can slip into balconies, doors and gates.

It may seem that only people in well-off areas will be interested in Hawiya, but Abotaleb intends to make it affordable for people in blue-collar district, especially that Hawiya will organize workshops to accommodate many people.

“If the place already has an identity, it means the people have roots and an origin, so it is easier to connect to themselves,” she said of having participants from older neighborhoods such as Sayeda Zainab and Imbaba.

Many new urban communities, a lot of them are gated, have been built in the past two decades and are still expanding, such as New Cairo, 6 October City, the New Administrative Capital and others. Such places still need much time to create a distinguished identity of their own, other than the one they were built with.

In that sense, blue-collar and white-collar communities will benefit from the project.

Design applied to varied disciplines

The concept of design as an approach began in the 70s; a designer named Victor Papanek said design is not about creating objects but bringing together lots of people who are involved in a situation to understand the complexity, according to Bruce.

But the idea started to take shape and form in the 1990s, and later in early in the 2000s, terms like “design thinking” started to get known.

“Upon meeting this particular collection of participants, I was really moved at how advanced they all are in terms of understanding complexity,” Bruce said, adding that the trainees worked at the government sector, NGOs, in education, art fields, architecture, comedy, and other.

It was important that the workshop was “industry agnostic,” Randall commented.

The two professors were quite interested in a project presented by another female participant on protecting the Nubian language from disappearing. She spent a lot of time in Nubian villages in Aswan, south of Egypt, and figured that despite how proud Nubians are of their heritage, mothers worry that focus on their ancient language may undermine their children’s Arabic, leading to fewer opportunities for a better future.

She joined the workshop to explore means to excite mothers and children in creative ways to spark a genuine shift in perspective bottom up, rather than top down, and to convince the community that speaking the two languages does not threat either of them.

Some of the projects touched on serious, complex, deeply challenging and even heavy issues, but they were “never approached with any kind of desperation or sadness or defeatism… they’re beyond hope, they’re ready for action,” Bruce said.

]]>11/3/2018 3:20:00 PM“It tastes like chewing on a urine-infested mattress,” said Samuel West, who, as curator of the Disgusting Food Museum, knows a thing or two about unpleasant victuals.

“It’s a fermented sort of rotten Icelandic shark,” he says. “Anthony Bourdain, the late TV personality, called it the single most disgusting thing he’d ever eaten, and I totally agree with him.”

From spicy rabbit heads to fruit bat soup, the collection, now on display in the Swedish city of Malmo, aims to challenge perceptions of taste and help visitors contemplate why one culture’s abomination is another’s delicacy.

Grasshoppers, cooked animals’ skulls and other body parts, including an eyeball, are on display in pots or on boards.

European fare ranges from Iceland’s cured shark, Hakarl, to Sardinia’s Casu Marzu cheese, which is riddled with insect larvae. There is Scottish haggis, made from sheep innards, and Sweden’s smelly Surstromming fermented herring.

Asian foods include the strong-smelling Durian fruit and stinky tofu. The fruit bat soup comes from the sparsely populated Pacific Ocean archipelago of Palau. Latin American dishes include Mexico’s Menudo tripe soup as well as Peru’s roasted guinea pigs, known as Cuy.

North America is represented by sweet treats: Jell-O salad and root beer.

Australian visitor Nichole Courtney said she was surprised to come across Vegemite, her homeland’s sandwich spread of concentrated yeast extract which is known to divide opinion.

“Things like Vegemite which we find really normal at home, like we’d eat that every day for breakfast, are next to things like the shark that I couldn’t imagine tasting and I think it is revolting so it’s quite funny for us.”]]>11/3/2018 1:36:01 PMA team including neurosurgeons and engineers used targeted electrical pulses to achieve the results, triggering individual muscles in a sequence, the way the brain would.

The pulses are produced by an implant placed over the spine in careful alignment with areas that control the muscles in the lower body.

And so far, the results are promising.

"This clinical trial has given me hope," said Gert-Jan Oskam, 35, who was told he would never walk again after a traffic accident in 2011.

After five months of treatment, he can now walk short distances even without the help of electrical stimulation.

It's the culmination of "more than a decade of careful research," Gregoire Courtine, a neuroscientist at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology who helped lead the research, told AFP.

Previous trials have used so-called continuous electrical stimulation of the spine, which worked well in rats, but produced less impressive results in humans.

After several months of training with the targeted pulses however, "our three participants were able to activate their previously paralysed muscles without electrical stimulation," said Courtine.

"The result was completely unexpected," he added, in a video released with the publication of the research in the journal Nature Thursday.

"They could even take a few steps overground without any support, hands-free. For me seeing this recovery was amazing."

- Reconnecting nerve pathways -

Footage from the study shows clearly the way the targeted stimulation differs from the continuous pulses.

With the targeted stimulation, a patient walks in an almost ordinary fashion, his feet rolling down and up as he steps.

The continuous stimulation, by contrast, produces jerkier movement, with his feet dragging and unbalancing him.

And the targeted pulsing, combined with a programme of extensive physiotherapy, was apparently able to reactivate nerve connections that became dormant when patients were injured.

David Mzee, 28, suffered full paralysis of his left leg after an accident in 2010, but after the five-month programme, he can walk for up to two hours with a walker using electrical stimulation, or take steps over shorter distances by himself.

The stimulation begins with a pulse directed at a muscle to prompt the patient to begin movement, for example a step.

Sensors at the feet detect the movement as the initial phase of a step and send additional targeted pulses to trigger the muscle movements required to complete the step, and repeat it.

At the same time, patients think about moving those muscles and stepping.

Because the neurons in the brain fire at almost the exact same time as the electrical pulses stimulate the muscles, the technique appears to eventually "reconnect" the brain and the muscles.

Patients can then command the muscle movement even without the electrical triggers.

- 'A lot of work to do' -

"It was incredible to see all these patients moving their legs without electrical stimulation," said Jocelyne Bloch, a neurosurgeon at the University Hospital of Lausanne, who helped lead the study.

In an independent evaluation, Chet Moritz, an associate professor at the University of Washington's rehabilitation medicine department, praised the work.

"The field of spinal cord injury is poised to take a giant leap forward in the treatment of what was until very recently considered incurable paralysis," he wrote.

Courtine warned however that it remained "very important to calibrate expectations," pointing out that all three patients still rely mostly on their wheelchairs.

The study also focused only on patients who had retained some feeling in their lower body.

Going forward, Courtine said he hoped to see the technique combined with biological treatments involving nerve repair.

He and Bloch have founded a start-up that will refine the treatment and test it on people shortly after spinal cord injuries, when the technique is likely to be more successful.

"There is still a lot of work to do to change the lives of these people," Courtine said.]]>11/1/2018 12:40:00 AMKnown for his acclaimed research on black holes, the wheelchair-bound Hawking, who suffered from motor neurone disease and used an electronic voice synthesizer, died in March at the age of 76.

“On the Shoulders of Giants”, which also features documents penned by Isaac Newton, Charles Darwin and Albert Einstein, will feature 22 lots from Hawking’s estate, including one of five known copies of his PhD thesis, “Properties of expanding universes”, estimated at 100,000-150,000 pounds ($127,480 - $191,220).

“Stephen Hawking was a huge personality worldwide. He had this amazing ability to connect with people,” Thomas Venning, head of the Books and Manuscripts department at auction house Christie’s London, told Reuters.

“The whole idea...was to provide something that was accessible to his admirers so that people could connect with him and remember his extraordinary story.”

Also up for sale are a copy of Hawking’s best-selling book “A Brief History of Time” signed with his thumb print, estimated between 2,000 and 3,000 pounds, as well as awards and medals given to the scientist, priced at 10,000-15,000 pounds.

Other documents, an invitation for a reception for “Time Travellers” as well as a motorized wheelchair Hawking used, are also being sold in the Oct. 31 - Nov. 8 online auction.

It has already attracted interest from Asia, the Middle East, the United States and Australia, according to Venning.

“(Hawking) traveled across the world and he has fans in the U.S., he has fans in Asia,” he said.]]>10/31/2018 11:53:09 AMNet profit at the Wolfsburg-based group more than doubled year-on-year between July and September, to 2.76 billion euros ($3.14 billion) -- but still fell short of analysts' expectations.

In the third quarter of 2017, the bottom line was slashed to 1.07 billion euros by one-off costs of 2.6 billion euros, as a US recall of cars with diesel engines configured to cheat regulatory emissions tests proved more complicated than expected.

Volkswagen remains mired in legal woes over the "dieselgate" scandal first revealed in 2015, with open investigations against former executives, and investors and car owners beating a path to court to claim damages.

But it was the new emissions tests known as WLTP -- introduced after the trickery affecting 11 million vehicles worldwide was uncovered -- that weighed on this year's third quarter.

The group highlighted operating profit over the first nine months was "on par" with last year's figure, saying that "strong development in the first half of the year and during the summer months was able to compensate for September’s decline in deliveries, which was mainly caused by the WLTP transition."

Other carmakers have also complained of a bottleneck caused by the new tests, which are designed to better reflect cars' output of harmful gases like nitrogen oxides (NOx) in real on-road driving conditions.

Looking ahead to the full year, VW confirmed its forecast of unit sales slightly higher than in 2017, with revenues "intended to grow by as much as five percent" compared with the 230.7 billion euros booked last year.]]>10/31/2018 2:40:00 AM

“Mo Salah is Madison's idol, so she was adamant to dresa up as him. I said, but it's for Halloween, and she said to me, 'I don't care mum, I'm dressing up as Mo Salah,’” Madison’s mother told ladbible.com on Monday.

Salah has had a stunning performance since he joined Liverpool in July 2017 and led them to the Champions League Final where they lost 3-1 to Real Madrid.

The Egyptian scored 44 goals last season at all competitions, including 32 goals at the League that granted him Premier League Golden Boot award.

Madison’s mother added, “If you asked her who her favorite player in the world was she'd say Mo Salah is number one and Lionel Messi is number two.”

“Loads of people thought it was brilliant; other kids want to do it and loads of people have messaged me asking me how I did it. I think by next year, all kids will be dressing up as footballers,” Madison’s make-up artist, Tammy Meehan, said.

Salah scored a goal, provided two assists, during Liverpool’s 4-0 victory over Cardiff City to keep his team on top of the Premier League table with 26 points after 10 League fixtures. ]]>10/30/2018 11:53:18 AMThe royal couple, who have already visited Australia, Fiji and Tonga, were received at Wellington airport by Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern.

The official welcome ceremony took place on the lawns of Government House - the residence of the Governor-General Dame Patsy Reddy.

Harry and Meghan rubbed noses with Maori leaders in a traditional “hongi” greeting and were welcomed by a “haka”, a centuries-old tribal war dance, to salute and honor them. A 21-gun salute was also sounded.

Meghan wore a brown chequered coat and a simple black dress, while Harry was in a dark gray suit. Both had remembrance poppy pins on their chests.

Later, Harry and Meghan visited Pukeahu National War Memorial Park to lay a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Warrior and visited the UK Memorial.

A large crowed gathered to catch a glimpse Queen Elizabeth’s grandson and his wife and the couple spent time meeting and shaking hands with cheering fans before leaving.

The pair flew from Australia on Sunday after closing the Invictus Games in Sydney last night and were accompanied by several Invictus Games athletes from New Zealand.

The Invictus Games are an international paralympic-style competition for military personnel wounded in action that was founded by Harry.

On Sunday evening, the couple will attend a reception celebrating the 125th anniversary of women’s suffrage. New Zealand became the first country in the world where women could vote in parliamentary elections in 1893.]]>10/29/2018 1:20:17 PMThe royal couple, who have already visited Australia, Fiji and Tonga, were received at Wellington airport by Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern.

The official welcome ceremony took place on the lawns of Government House - the residence of the Governor-General Dame Patsy Reddy.

Harry and Meghan rubbed noses with Maori leaders in a traditional “hongi” greeting and were welcomed by a “haka”, a centuries-old tribal war dance, to salute and honor them. A 21-gun salute was also sounded.

Meghan wore a brown chequered coat and a simple black dress, while Harry was in a dark gray suit. Both had remembrance poppy pins on their chests.

Later, Harry and Meghan visited Pukeahu National War Memorial Park to lay a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Warrior and visited the UK Memorial.

A large crowed gathered to catch a glimpse Queen Elizabeth’s grandson and his wife and the couple spent time meeting and shaking hands with cheering fans before leaving.

Rome’s decline irks city dwellers
The pair flew from Australia on Sunday after closing the Invictus Games in Sydney last night and were accompanied by several Invictus Games athletes from New Zealand.

The Invictus Games are an international paralympic-style competition for military personnel wounded in action that was founded by Harry.

On Sunday evening, the couple will attend a reception celebrating the 125th anniversary of women’s suffrage. New Zealand became the first country in the world where women could vote in parliamentary elections in 1893.]]>10/28/2018 12:57:12 PMThe royal couple watched most the wheelchair basketball final and then presented gold medals to the U.S. team which comfortably beat the Netherlands by 29 points to 17.

A large crowd had packed into Sydney’s Olympic Park to watch the last day of the week-long competition, with attention only diverted from the match for a short time as the couple entered and sat with the crowd.

The Invictus Games, founded by Harry, is an international paralympic-style event for military personnel wounded in action.

Former England soccer captain David Beckham, who is an Invictus ambassador, also attended the basketball match.

Both Harry and Meghan wore remembrance poppies on their chests, with Meghan’s fixed upon her maroon top.

On Saturday evening, Harry and Meghan are due to attend the closing ceremony of the event, which has seen some 500 competitors from 18 nations take part.

The royal couple will move on to New Zealand on Sunday, where they are expected to be greeted by Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern.

The tour of Commonwealth countries has seen the royal couple meet drought-stricken Australian farmers, visit the world-famous Bondi Beach and spend time in the Pacific nations of Fiji and Tonga.]]>10/27/2018 11:31:29 AMThe 8-kilometer-long race kicked off from Alexandria's Municipal Stadium to the Swedish Academy.

The director of the Swedish Institute in Alexandria attended the activities of the race along with a delegation from the European Union with the participation of 600 persons from various bodies.

Fouad asserted that this event falls within the framework of the ministry's activities aiming to promote the 14th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (COP 14) that is set to be held in Sharm el-Sheikh in November 29.

Fouad said that the ministry seeks spreading the culture biking and hiking which are not polluting the environment and play an important role in protecting it.]]>10/26/2018 3:52:36 PMThe winning ticket was sold at a convenience store in Simpsonville, a rural town with a population 22,000.

Curtis described her rural town as a place where "there's a church on every corner."

And indeed there were two churches close to the store where the ticket was sold, the Post reported.

The winner however may never be known: unlike most other states, in South Carolina a lottery winner can legally remain anonymous.

Mega Millions, which initially announced a global record $1.6 billion jackpot, later revised the figure down to $1.537 billion.

The new amount makes the prize the second largest, just shy of the $1.586 billion jackpot for a rival Powerball lottery in January 2016, which was shared between three winning tickets.

Regardless, it's the largest single winning ticket ever and it dwarfed the previous Mega Millions record, set in March 2012 at $656 million.

The six winning numbers drawn on Tuesday night were five, 28, 62, 65, 70 and another five as the special "gold Mega Ball."

The massive jackpot had set off a lottery frenzy across the country, with people lining up at convenience stores, supermarkets and liquor stores to buy a $2 ticket that gave them a roughly one in 300 million chance of winning.

The winner can take $878 million in a lump sum cash payment or be paid out in annuities over 30 years.

The jackpot ballooned because no one had won since July, when a group of office workers in California shared a $543 million prize.

The record 2016 Powerball jackpot was split three ways by ticket holders in California, Florida and Tennessee. Each took home $528.8 million.

- But wait! Millions still available -

While it may be tempting to burn a "losing" ticket, in this Mega Millions draw are also 36 second prizes worth $1 million each. Two of those were sold in Virginia, and one was sold in the US capital.

The tickets were sold in 16 states, and they will be paid out to people who got the first five numbers right but not the Mega Ball.

And two still unidentified lucky winners -- one in Texas, and another in Florida -- won $3 million each.

Including the jackpot and lesser prizes, there were 15.75 million tickets Tuesday night that earned bettors at least the face value of the ticket.

Unlike in many other countries, US lottery winnings are taxable at the federal level, while some states also impose local taxes.

The jackpot now resets at $40 million for the next drawing on Friday.]]>10/25/2018 12:40:00 AMSrour added in a video posted on his Facebook page that it will be the last video for him as he decided not to go on living, which surprised many of his followers.

"I decided that I will not do any other video, and that I do not want to live," he said. He changed his personal picture on Facebook to black and captioned it: "The author of the page died."

Srour appeared to be crying, pointing out that many of the criticisms he received in the recent period made him suffer psychologically, which led him to depression.

Over the past years, Srour submitted videos on Facebook and YouTube discussing social issues in a comic manner.

Egypt's Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics said more than half a million citizens tried to commit suicide in 2015.

In the same context, psychiatry professor Mohamed al-Mahdi said in an interview on DMC channel in September that suicide attempts in Egypt will reach the global danger belt due to psychological and economic pressures, stressing that Egypt needs to activate a hotline to support suicidal individuals.

Also, psychiatry professor Heba al-Issawi told Al-Watan newspaper that mental health secretaries of the Ministry of Health should activate the ministry’s hotline and increase the number of psychiatrists.

Issawi added that the hotline should be linked to outpatient clinics and programs to solve people's problems.

In 2003, BFriends International established a hotline in Egypt to provide psychosocial support for people who need it but it was closed after the bankruptcy of the institution in Cairo due to lack of donations.
]]>10/24/2018 2:37:14 PMDyson, founded and owned by serial entrepreneur James Dyson, said the factory was scheduled for completion in 2020 as part of a £2.5 billion (2.8 billion euro, $3.3 billion) global investment drive in new technology.

The company, best known for its cordless vacuum cleaners, hand dryers and fans, is aiming to launch electric vehicles in 2021.

"The decision of where to make our car is complex, based on supply chains, access to markets and the availability of the expertise that will help us achieve our ambitions," Dyson chief executive Jim Rowan said in a statement.

"Our existing footprint and team in Singapore, combined with the nation's significant advanced manufacturing expertise, made it a frontrunner. Singapore also offers access to high-growth markets as well as an extensive supply chain and a highly-skilled workforce," Rowan said.

"Singapore has a comparatively high cost base, but also great technology expertise and focus. It is therefore the right place to make high quality technology loaded machines, and the right place to make our electric vehicle."

The company already has production facilities in Malaysia and Singapore.

- 'Snubbed Britain for Singapore' -

Best for Britain, an anti-Brexit campaign group, called the news "astonishing".

"He's snubbed Britain for Singapore," the group tweeted.

Opposition Labour MP Ian Murray, a supporter of Best for Britain, said: "When even someone who claims there will be a resurgence in British manufacturing after Brexit isn't prepared to put his money where his mouth is, it raises serious questions".

But Singapore welcomed the decision, which Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said will see car assembly return to the city-state for the first time since the 1980s.

"Now we will manufacture cars again, except this time greener, better, and more high-tech!" he wrote on his Facebook page.

Dyson announced his decision to launch electric cars last year -- a sector in which the company will face stiff competition from established players.

Dyson told AFP in an interview earlier this year that electric cars were already available to order and the manufacturing location would be either in Britain or Asia.

Dyson, a vocal supporter of the campaign to leave the EU, said he was confident the EU and Britain would reach an agreement on free trade after Britain leaves the bloc.

"I think it would be hurtful to both sides not to do that," he said.

The company said that 2017 operating profit surged by almost one third to around £800 million, aided by fast growth in China, India, Japan, Korea and Taiwan. Revenues leapt 40 percent to £3.5 billion.

Dyson employs more than 12,000 people across the world, including 4,800 in Britain.]]>10/24/2018 1:30:00 AMKing Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima were formally welcomed by the British queen with a Guard of Honor before taking a state carriage procession along the Mall in London to lunch at Buckingham Palace.

In the afternoon, the Dutch royals will visit the grave of William III and Mary II of England, the Anglo-Dutch couple who ruled Britain at the end of the 17th Century, and will also lay a wreath at the Grave of the Unknown Soldier in Westminster Abbey.

Willem-Alexander will then deliver an address to parliament before afternoon tea with Elizabeth’s heir Charles at his official Clarence House residence.

An evening banquet at Buckingham Palace will begin with speeches by Elizabeth and Willem-Alexander.

The last state visit from the Netherlands was by Queen Beatrix and Prince Claus in November 1982, while Queen Elizabeth and her husband Philip paid a state visit to Queen Juliana and Prince Bernhard of the Netherlands in March 1958.

The visit ends on Wednesday.]]>10/23/2018 2:54:38 PMDuring the Alumni Awards ceremony in 2018, the British Council celebrated the success of three outstanding achievers at the British Ambassador’s residence, and they are

• Rehab El Maghraby, who studied at Imperial college and went on to establish a £500,000 lab for enhanced oil recovery, the first of its kind in Egypt. Her lab research was funded through a grant from Suez University and the Science and Technology Development Fund.

• Dr. Mahmoud Hafez, who studied at the University of Leeds and invented “SurgiNova” a technique for knee replacements. He’s received 10 award winning patents and also established a self-funded bone and joint centre at 6 October University.

• Usama Fathallah, who studied at Coventry University and established a local NGO to support Bedouin communities by creating creative economy jobs for women and marginalized communities.

Winners win a trip to the UK to enhance their international and professional network, connect with their alumni and raise the profile of their institution.

If you have studied in a UK university for at least a term/semester or were awarded a full UK degree level qualification (or higher), by a recognised or listed UK HEI outside the UK, you are eligible to apply.

All applications are assessed based on the level of impact, strength of UK influence and potentiality of each success story to inspire.

Deadline for applications is November 11th 2018, and the finalists will be announced in January 2019. To apply visit the site

The Alumni Awards were developed by the British Council and UK universities, and were launched by the British Council in September 2014. They are open to alumni currently residing in any country outside the UK, who have studied in the UK, at an officially recognised provider of UK university degree level study for a minimum of a term or semester, or who have been awarded a full UK degree level qualification (or higher), by a UK university, within the last 15 years.

Award winners and finalists are leaders in their fields who have used their experience of studying at a UK university to make a positive contribution to their communities, professions and countries. The Alumni Awards celebrate and showcase the impact and value of a UK higher education and raises the profile and reputation of UK alumni, their former universities, and the whole of UK education.

Awards are presented in three categories:

Professional Achievement AwardRecognises alumni who have distinguished themselves through exemplary leadership and achievements in their professional industry, and who can demonstrate the scale of their achievements and how they have made a strong and positive difference to their profession and society.

Entrepreneurial AwardSuccessful applicants in this category will be active in initiating, or contributing to, innovative new business opportunities with strong growth prospects.

Social Impact AwardThe Social Impact Award acknowledges alumni who have made an exceptional contribution and commitment to creating positive social change and improving the lives of others

]]>10/22/2018 7:40:32 PMRepresenting a momentous milestone in the history of the HUAWEI Mate Series, the HUAWEI Mate 20 Series embodies the pinnacle of innovation. Designed with the industry’s most powerful and sophisticated process technology, the latest Huawei flagship devices set a new bar by which all 2018 smartphones will be measured.

The HUAWEI Mate 20 Series is powered by Huawei’s densest and highest performing system on chip (SoC) to date—the Kirin 980. Manufactured with the advanced 7nm process incorporating the powerful Cortex-A76-based CPU and Mali-G76 GPU, the SoC offersimproved performance and an unprecedented smooth user experience.

The new 40W HUAWEI SuperCharge, 15W HUAWEI Wireless Quick Charge and large batteries work in tandem to provide users with the best battery life.

FILE- Huawei Consumer Business Group (BG) unveils the HUAWEI Mate 20 Series, one of the most highly anticipated smartphone series of the year

The Matrix Camera System includes Leica Ultra Wide Angle Lens that lets users not only see wider, but also closer with its new macro distance capability. The Hyper Optical Pattern on the glass back plays with light and shadows, producing an iridescent optical effect that is immediately captivating.

The Matrix Camera System adopts the iconic Four-Point Design that exudes personality, giving the device a unique visual identity that is recognizable even at a distance. The HUAWEI Mate 20 Series is shipped with the highly customized Android P-based EMUI 9 operating system, on which consumers canenjoy all productivity and entertainment features easily and convenientlywith a few simple taps and swipes.

FILE- Huawei Consumer Business Group (BG) unveils the HUAWEI Mate 20 Series, one of the most highly anticipated smartphone series of the year

]]>10/22/2018 5:52:26 PMThe sum reached a world record for lottery jackpots after there were no winners claimed a $1 billion prize on Friday.

It is so much money that if you had it all in $100 bills, you could make a stack about as high as the World Trade Center in New York city, the lottery’s website said.

“Mega Millions has already entered historic territory, but it’s truly astounding to think that now the jackpot has reached an all-time world record,” Gordon Medenica, lead director of the Mega Millions Group, said in a statement.

But you are more likely to get killed by a shark than win, with odds of a shark attack at 1 in 3.7 million, according the Tucson, Arizona-based International Wildlife Museum.

After taxes, the cash value of the Mega Millions prize will be an estimated $904 million, which is greater than the gross domestic product of countries including South Africa, Columbia and Switzerland, according to 2017 figures from the World Bank.

Wednesday’s Powerball lottery prize stands at an estimated $620 million, making it the fifth largest jackpot in U.S. history, officials said, after no one got all six numbers in Saturday’s drawing.

The lump sum cash payout is estimated at $354.3 million.

The current Mega Millions jackpot beats the previous record, a $1.586 billion jackpot for a Powerball drawing in 2016, said Seth Elkin, a spokesman for Mega Millions.

If there is more than one winner, the jackpot would be shared, as happened when the previous Mega Millions record of $656 million was drawn in March 2012 and was divided between winners in Kansas, Illinois and Maryland, a lottery official said.]]>10/22/2018 12:17:30 PMThe foyer of Le Méridien Cairo Airport was transformed into an interactive space housing 4 European inspired coffee house pop ups, each representing a Le Méridien hotel within the country namely, Le Méridien Pyramids, Le Méridien Cairo Airport, Le Méridien Heliopolis and Le Méridien Dahab.

On International Coffee Day, guests and local tastemakers were invited to join a colored latte art training and indulge in coffee tasting. Guests also took part in éclair and latte-making workshops and learnt more about Egyptian coffee recipes and trends. The 4 cafés served 24 different types of coffees from around the world, together with caffeine infused menus ranging from beverages, snacks, deserts and ice creams and stimulated guest’s curiosity and sense of discovery through the various coffee inspired activities.

Coffee culture at Le Méridien offers a platform for a unique and distinctive experience for the guests, and is an integral part of the brand’s lobby concept, Le Méridien Hub: a twist on the traditional hotel lobby space. Le Méridien Hubs provide a coffeehouse-like atmosphere where creative and curious minds meet and converse while indulging in Illy coffee, the brand’s exclusive coffee partner.

International Coffee Day is a day that brings coffee lovers and those who share a passion for the beverage together. Le Meridien Hotels in Egypt joined this global celebration together with other Le Meridien Hotels around the world.

Le Méridien Hotels & Resorts

With more than 100 Hotels & Resorts in nearly 40 countries and territories, and the strongest, most globally diverse portfolio in its history, The Paris-born Le Méridien Hotels & Resorts, part of Marriott International, Inc., connects curious and creative-minded travelers to unexpected and engaging experiences within their destination. With its brand promise of “Destination Unlocked,” Le Méridien has transformed numerous guest touch points through global partnerships with creative minds such as illy, Johnny Iuzzini, Gray Malin, and Nouvelle Vague. Plans call for dynamic portfolio expansion within the next five years in some of the world’s most exciting destinations. Le Méridien is proud to participate in the industry’s award-winning loyalty program, Starwood Preferred Guest®.

Members can now link accounts with Marriott Rewards®, which includes The Ritz-Carlton Rewards® at members.marriott.com for instant elite status matching and unlimited points transfer. For more information, please visit LeMéridien.com or follow us on social media – Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

About Marriott International, Inc.

Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ: MAR) is based in Bethesda, Maryland, USA, and encompasses a portfolio of more than 6,500 properties in 30 leading hotel brands spanning 127 countries and territories. Marriott operates and franchises hotels and licenses vacation ownership resorts all around the world. The company also operates award-winning loyalty programs: Marriott Rewards®, which includes The Ritz-Carlton Rewards®, and Starwood Preferred Guest®. For more information, please visit our website at www.marriott.com, and for the latest company news, visit www.marriottnewscenter.com. In addition, connect with us on Facebook and @MarriottIntl on Twitter and Instagram.

]]>10/21/2018 2:53:49 PMMeghan curtailed her activities after attending the opening ceremony for the Invictus Games on Saturday night at Sydney’s Opera House. A thunderstorm delayed the opening for more than an hour but did not dampen the spirits of competitors from 18 nations who watched a musician play a didgeridoo in a traditional Aboriginal welcoming ceremony.

“You are the role models to us all, and you are going to put on one hell of a show over the next week,” Prince Harry told the competitors in his address.

The Invictus Games are athletic competitions involving wounded military personnel and have been credited for fostering hope and resilience in people traumatized during conflict.

“Be inspired, get excited. Allow the example of service and determination that you all see to change something big or small in your own lives,” said Prince Harry to rousing applause from 500 athletes and a supportive crowd that filled the Opera House stairs, according to video of the speech on the British royal family’s Twitter account.

However, Meghan took a break from the Invictus Games events on Sunday morning though Harry watched a cycling competition.

“After a busy program, the Duke and Duchess have decided to cut back The Duchess’s schedule slightly for the next couple of days, ahead of the final week-and-a-half of the tour,” Kensington Palace said in a statement reported by Australia’s SBS news.

The Duchess was back on deck at lunch time, welcomed by Australia’s Prime Minister Scott Morrison at an Invictus Games reception for competitors and mental health organization representatives.

“You’ve all come together today to join together as a community to give testimony to that great Australian spirit about how we look after each other as mates,” Morrison said in his address which was televised on the Australian Broadcasting Corp.

During the reception, the Duke and Duchess met with children from the Kookaburra Kids Foundation which supports families affected by mental illness, the Endeavour Clontarf Academy which helps disadvantaged indigenous men, and cadets from the Royal Australian Air Force.

The royal couple will travel on Monday to Queensland’s Fraser Island on the north-east coast of Australia before leaving for Tonga and Fiji later in the week.

On Friday, they will return to Sydney for the final days of the Invictus Games before flying home via New Zealand.]]>10/21/2018 12:48:02 PMNo one hit all of the numbers of 15, 23, 53, 65, 70 and the Mega Ball 7 during Friday night’s draw.

The next Mega Millions draw will be held on Tuesday. If a player hits all six numbers to win the jackpot, they can opt for an immediate cash payment of $904 million or receive the $1.6 billion prize over 29 years.

Powerball, which held the record for the largest U.S. lottery prize of $1.586 billion in 2016, will hold a separate draw on Saturday. Its jackpot rose on Friday to $470 million from $430 million, with a lump sum value of $268.6 million.

Mega Millions tickets are sold in 44 U.S. states, the District of Columbia and the Virgin Islands.

If more than one winner is picked, the jackpot would be divided proportionately, as happened when the previous Mega Millions record of $656 million was drawn in March 2012 and was shared by winners in Kansas, Illinois and Maryland, a lottery official said.

The 24 semi-weekly Mega Millions draws have failed to produce a top winner since July 24, when an 11-member office pool in Santa Clara County, California, hit a $543 million jackpot.

The odds of winning the Mega Millions jackpot are one in 302,575,350, but the odds of winning any of the lesser prizes are one in 24.]]>10/20/2018 2:21:58 PMThe prince charmed the crowd at a picnic in the town’s main park, standing at a podium in pouring rain with Meghan holding an umbrella over him, on the second day of their Pacific tour, which takes in Australia, New Zealand, Fiji and Tonga.

“The rain is a gift!” Prince Harry told the thousands who had come out to see the royal couple in Dubbo, about 300 km (185 miles) northwest of Sydney.

They had earlier visited a farm hit by the drought and Harry recalled his own stay on an Australian farm 15 years ago, where he said he was chased by countless cattle and perfected the Aussie salute of swatting flies.

“You are the salt of the earth. Honest, hard-working, and as tough as they come,” Harry said.

In an issue close to his heart, he urged those facing mental health problems due to the tough times plaguing rural Australia to seek help.

“You are all in this together and, if I may say, personally, we are all in this together - because asking for help was one of the best decisions that I ever made. You will be continually amazed how life changes for the better,” he said to cheers and applause.

The royal couple’s visit to Australia coincides with the Invictus Games in Sydney from Oct. 20-27. The games, founded by Harry, are an international paralympic-style event that aims to lift the spirits of wounded military veterans.

A 5-year-old boy earlier stole the show in a long line of school children who met the royals at Dubbo airport.

Luke Vincent, who has Down Syndrome and adores Santa Claus, threw his arms around Meghan when she knelt down to greet him and tugged at Harry’s beard and patted him on the head when the prince hugged the boy.

Meghan, who is expecting the royal couple’s first child in the northern spring, wore skinny black jeans, a white shirt, long gray jacket and black boots with her hair tied back in a pony tail.

Prince Harry and Meghan, on their first international tour since marrying in May, also visited the Royal Flying Doctor Service in Dubbo.

The medical service was anointed as “royal” in 1955 after Queen Elizabeth, Harry’s grandmother, visited Australia.]]>10/17/2018 12:03:30 PMTowers did not just offer a plethora of seafood including calamari, shrimps, crabs, clams and lobsters, but also charged its best. Their chefs with a reputation for creating the best authentic seafood platters from around the world were on hand to cook for the attendees.

The secret to this enchanting event was “freshness” as fish was brought straight in from Alexandria ahead of the event, providing a real taste of the exquisite seafood Alexandria is best known for.

"Aqua e Luce", the restaurant which hosted the event, is not the only savory dining house in the hotel, as Heliopolis Towers Hotel has 17 other fully-fledged restaurants. Eight of which are authentic ones with the chef from the restaurant’s country of origin, bringing the traditional genuine taste of these countries to Heliopolis Towers Hotel’s guests.

The secret to this enchanting event was “freshness” as fish was brought straight in from Alexandria ahead of the event. - Press Photo

Events, such as this continue to confirm why Heliopolis Towers Hotel is everyone’s destination of choice for a great food experience and authentic dishes that bring you unforgettable flavors from all over the world.

Their chefs with a reputation for creating the best authentic seafood platters from around the world were on hand to cook for the attendees. - Press Photo

About Hilton

Hilton (NYSE: HLT) is a leading global hospitality company, with a portfolio of 14 world-class brands comprising more than 5,400 properties with nearly 880,000 rooms, in 106 countries and territories. Hilton is dedicated to fulfilling its mission to be the world’s most hospitable company by delivering exceptional experiences – every hotel, every guest, every time. The company's portfolio includes Hilton Hotels & Resorts, Waldorf Astoria Hotels & Resorts, Conrad Hotels & Resorts, Canopy by Hilton, Curio Collection by Hilton, DoubleTree by Hilton, Tapestry Collection by Hilton, Embassy Suites by Hilton, Hilton Garden Inn, Hampton by Hilton, Tru by Hilton, Homewood Suites by Hilton, Home2 Suites by Hilton and Hilton Grand Vacations.

The company also manages an award-winning customer loyalty program, Hilton Honors. Hilton Honors members who book directly through preferred Hilton channels have access to instant benefits, including a flexible payment slider that allows members to choose exactly how many Points to combine with money, an exclusive member discount that can’t be found anywhere else, and free standard Wi-Fi.

Visit newsroom.hilton.com for more information, and connect with Hilton on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram and YouTube.

Heliopolis Towers Hotel holds a seafood day. - Press Photo

]]>10/16/2018 4:51:45 PMThe royal couple began their official tour of Australia with a ferry ride across the harbor to greet cheering crowds packed in front of the Opera House, which was opened by Harry’s grandmother, Queen Elizabeth, 45 years ago.

“We’re both absolutely delighted to be here. We genuinely couldn’t think of a better place to announce the upcoming baby, be it a boy or a girl,” Harry told a reception at Admiralty House, the official residence of the governor-general.

Kensington Palace said on Monday the Duke and Duchess of Sussex were expecting their first baby in the northern spring. The child will be seventh in line to the British throne and the queen’s eighth great-grandchild.

Thousands of people gathered on the harbor and at the Opera House, where the couple shook hands and embraced members of the public.

“I want to see the royal couple. They are young, a breath of fresh air for the royal family and Australians love them,” said Marvin Lester, who has attended every royal visit to Australia since 1954.

“There’s a lot of feeling for a republic here in Australia but I admire having a royal family,” she said.

Australia, a constitutional monarchy whose head of state is the British monarch, voted in 1999 against becoming a republic.

Support for a republic is hovering around 50 percent according to a January poll, a level largely unchanged in recent years, and there is little appetite to put the issue back on the agenda during Queen Elizabeth’s reign.

Governor-General Sir Peter Cosgrove, the queen’s representative in Australia, presented the couple with their first baby gifts, a stuffed kangaroo and a tiny pair of fleece-lined Ugg boots.

BEST DRESSED

The visit to Australia is their first overseas tour since Harry, 34, married the former Hollywood actress in May. The trip will also take the couple to New Zealand and the South Pacific islands of Tonga and Fiji.

The couple met some Australian wildlife during a visit to Taronga Zoo in Sydney, where zookeepers said the 3,500 animals there were “excited to meet them”.

Excitement over news of the baby was almost matched by a frenzy over Meghan’s outfit.

Named 2018’s best dressed woman by People magazine, Meghan wore a white cocktail dress by Australian designer Karen Gee underneath a beige trench coat that revealed just a hint of a baby bump.

The A$1,800 dress, dubbed “Blessed Dress”, was an instant hit, with demand crashing the designer’s website a number of times throughout the day.

After watching an indigenous-themed show by the Bangarra Dance Company at the Opera House, the couple met prominent figures from sports, business, the arts and charities.

It is the second tour of Australia by the younger generation of royals after Prince William and his wife, Kate, and their eldest son, George, visited in 2014.

The trip by Harry and Meghan coincides with the Invictus Games to be held in Sydney from Oct. 20-27. The games founded by Harry are an international paralympic-style event for military personnel wounded in action.]]>10/16/2018 12:42:12 PMThe baby will be seventh-in-line to the British throne.

British media said Meghan was believed to be about 12 weeks pregnant.

“Their Royal Highnesses have appreciated all of the support they have received from people around the world since their wedding in May and are delighted to be able to share this happy news with the public,” the palace said in a statement.

The news emerged shortly after the royal couple landed in Australia for their first overseas tour, a busy trip which will also take in New Zealand and the South Pacific islands of Tonga and Fiji.

Harry, the son of heir-to-the-throne Prince Charles and his late first wife Princess Diana, and Meghan, former star of TV show “Suits”, married in a glittering ceremony at the queen’s Windsor Castle home, west of London, five months ago which attracted huge interest worldwide.

The couple returned to the castle for the marriage of Harry’s cousin Princess Eugenie on Friday which was attended by all the senior members of the British royal family. Media said Harry and Meghan broke the news of the pregnancy to other members of the royal family at the wedding.]]>10/15/2018 11:23:43 AMJulien’s Auctions said on Friday the sale would also include Hefner’s white captain’s hat, a custom 1974 Monopoly board game including a Playboy bunny playing piece, his Playboy bunny logo cufflinks, 2016 passport and his Bible.

Hefner, who helped usher in the 1960s sexual revolution with his magazine and nightclubs, died in September 2017 at age 91. He left his property to his foundation, which is putting some of the items up for sale.

All the proceeds from the Nov. 30-Dec. 1 auction in Los Angeles will go to Hefner’s foundation, which was set up in 1964 to advocate for civil liberties, including LGBT rights and the legalization of medical marijuana.

“My father lived an extraordinary life as a publishing, social and cultural pioneer and left a legacy that his foundations will perpetuate,” his daughter, Christie Hefner, said in a statement.

The dozens of items up for sale include one of Hefner’s signature pipes (estimated to sell for $2,000 to $3,000), his personal copy of the first, 1953 issue of Playboy with Marilyn Monroe on the cover ($3,000 to $5,000), a 1946 Wurlitzer jukebox with 24 original albums ($10,000 to $20,000), and a 2007 limited edition set of 48 Playboy prints ($20,000 to $30,000).

Hefner’s pajamas and smoking jacket, which became a symbol of his Playboy mansion parties in Los Angeles, are expected to fetch up to $2,000 and $5,000 respectively.

In 2016, Playboy magazine did away with full frontal nudity, but that policy was reversed a year later.

The Playboy Clubs, heavily criticized by feminists, closed in 1991, but a New York venue reopened in September, complete with women waitresses wearing corsets, fluffy tails and rabbit ears.]]>10/14/2018 2:27:12 PMEugenie, 28, daughter of the queen’s third child, Prince Andrew and his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson, the Duchess of York, tied the knot with Brooksbank, 32, in a traditional ceremony at Windsor Castle’s 15th Century St George’s Chapel.

It was the same setting as the lavish wedding in May of Prince Harry and his American actress wife Meghan. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, as the couple are now known, were among Friday’s congregation.

Eugenie’s nuptials had much of the same pomp and pageantry as Harry’s, but the grandeur for a “minor royal” attracted some criticism.]]>10/13/2018 11:54:40 AMPrime Minister Scott Morrison says the Sydney Opera House is a great billboard, but opponents of the racing promotion say it is a sell-out to the country’s gambling industry.

The furor erupted after the New South Wales state government over ruled the Opera House management’s objections to projecting the barrier draw of the A$13 million ($9 million) Everest Cup onto the Sydney Opera House sails on Tuesday night.

The decision came after one of the nation’s top radio “shock jocks”, Alan Jones, called on the Opera House’s boss to resign or be sacked for objecting to the promotion. Jones is regarded by many politicians as having great influence over voters.

Nearly 165,000 people had signed an online petition as of Monday against using the Opera House for the promotion, which has dominated social media in Australia. Opponents plan a flashlight protest on Tuesday to try and disrupt the lightshow.

Morrison, who supports the promotion for Saturday’s Everest Cup, said he couldn’t understand why people were so upset.

“It’s not like they’re painting it on there. I mean it’s some lights flashing up there for a brief moment of time. And that goes all around the world,” Morrison said on radio broadcaster Alan Jones’ show.

Anti-gambling advocates deplored using the Opera House to promote gambling in a country that has the world’s highest gambling losses per adult. Nearly A$24 billion ($16.93 billion) was lost last year on sports betting, slot machines and casinos.

“Gambling destroys lives and has no place being displayed on the sails of the Opera House,” said Elizabeth Smits, one of the thousands who signed the online petition.

The Opera House declined to comment on the controversy, referring all queries to the state government.

Opposition Labor leader Bill Shorten said Australians were understandably concerned about turning the Opera House into a billboard.

“I would say to Prime Minister Morrison, you’re not a marketing executive. You’re the prime minister of Australia and that involves the obligation to respect our national icons,” Shorten told reporters on Monday.

The Opera House sails have been used in art installations and to advertise events such as the Rugby Union World Cup, but not for commercial advertising.]]>10/10/2018 3:51:20 PMLola Arias, who is also a filmmaker, said that despite the differences over the sovereignty of the islands, the play allows audiences and the former soldiers to listen to both sides of the dispute.

Britain won the war, but Argentina still claims the islands, which it calls the Malvinas. During Argentina’s two-month war to reclaim the Falklands in 1982, some 255 British troops and about 650 Argentine soldiers were killed.

After five years of work and 70 interviews with veterans from both sides of the conflict, Arias chose six men who would go on to become the main characters in the play “Minefield” and the film “Theatre of War,” where they recall their experiences in a scripted play considered documentary theater.

“Minefield” premiered in Buenos Aires last month and opens in Japan, Italy, Spain and France this month. The movie will be presented at the BFI London Film Festival in October.

“I think that this project can only be done now precisely because those 36 years have passed and there is a perspective that allows us to see the effects of the war because, in reality, both the work and the film are not about the war itself, but about what the war does to people,” Arias, 42, told Reuters.

In the film and play, the three Argentine and three British veterans tell their stories, read letters, play in a rock band, recreate painful moments of war, and even attend therapy. The film’s final scene depicts an attack, with younger actors playing doubles of the veterans.

“The idea of ​​that ending was so one could really see that what the war took away is youth, innocence and beauty,” said Arias.

Although the UK veterans spoke no Spanish and their Argentine counterparts did not speak English, the former soldiers said they understood each other and found they had more in common than differences. The process proved healing, they said.

“What matters the most is being able to tell others that it does not matter if you agree with someone else, you can often do things with people who think differently on some issues,” said Gabriel Sagastume, an Argentine veteran and actor.

“For us, the whole process was curative ... We found many things in common.”]]>10/9/2018 10:27:45 AM"Their findings have significantly broadened the scope of economic analysis by constructing models that explain how the market economy interacts with nature and knowledge," the academy said in statement.

Worth 9 million Swedish crowns ($1 million), the economics prize was established in 1968. It was not part of the original group of five awards set out in Swedish industrialist Alfred Nobel's 1895 will.

Nobel laureates graphic http://tmsnrt.rs/2y6ATVW

($1 = 9.0718 Swedish crowns)]]>10/8/2018 12:30:06 PMSeven years later his Sept winery launched its first commercial vintage and is now looking to export as a number of European countries take an interest.

The 36-year-old is part of an expanding wine industry which is bringing life back to land abandoned during Lebanon’s 1975-90 civil war and waves of economic migration. It is also bringing Lebanese - and their money - back home.

“Giving up a career in Europe... is very hard; it is all because of how much we love this land and how much Lebanon deserves this,” said Harb, speaking in the hills above the coastal town of Batroun.

And as Lebanon wrestles with stagnant economic growth, heavy debts and political inertia, the industry’s success could serve as a model for other sectors looking to export.

Lebanon, where winemaking dates back to the ancient Phoenicians, lies further south than most northern hemisphere wine-producing nations. But the mountains that rise up from its hot, humid Mediterranean coast provide the cooler, drier altitudes grapes need.

Since Lebanon’s civil war ended, a handful of wineries has expanded to around 45 commercial enterprises and a number of small-scale producers.

Global interest in Lebanon’s wines is growing, but output is low - a mere 8-9 million bottles annually compared to 5-6 billion bottles from the world’s largest producer Italy - and production costs are high.

So producers are striving to create a distinct, marketable identity for Lebanese wine based on quality, not quantity.

“Lebanese wine is already good quality, but it still lacks uniqueness,” said Harb.

“STORY TO TELL”

Producers are seeking that identity in the diversity of Lebanon’s terrain, creating wines which carry the unique taste of the small patch of soil and air in which the grape is grown.

“If you want to be competitive you have to have a signature and to show some form of your tradition... You cannot impress a guy who had the best wines on the planet with another Chardonnay,” said Eid Azar, a U.S.-trained doctor and co-founder of Vertical 33, which grows grapes across the Bekaa valley and sold its first commercial wine in 2017.

“Each winery should have a story to tell,” he said from his tasting room in a hip Beirut street, next to a wall display of soil samples and grape names.

The wine industry’s success means the agriculture ministry wants it to be a model for improving the olive oil and arak sectors. Arak is a traditional aniseed-flavored liquor.

Producers are also looking to indigenous grapes for a Lebanese identity, moving away from imported, well-known French vines.

“People used to ask me: You in Lebanon have been making wine for more than 4,000 years, why do you use foreign grapes?” said Joe Assaad Touma of family-run Chateau St Thomas in the Bekaa, which is celebrating 20 years of wine-making.

Touma’s family had been making arak from local Obeidy grapes for 130 years and proved through genetic testing it was indeed indigenous.

Chateau St Thomas made its first all-Obeidy wine in 2012. Both Sept and Vertical 33 also market an all-Obeidy wine.

Although the industry’s size is estimated by Lebanon’s wine production association UVL to be only around $500 million a year, the local impact of new wineries can be transformative in a country with poor regional development and job prospects.

Almost 20 years ago Naji Boutros gave up a finance career in New York and London and returned to his birth village of Bhamdoun to raise his family and grow wine. The village, a former summer tourism hotspot near the capital Beirut, had been decimated in the war which drove him and many others abroad.

“When we returned to Bhamdoun there was nobody here,” said Boutros. “The school used to have 30 students and now it has above 200, the town is full.”

He started with three plots of inherited land. Other expatriates began offering their unused land for planting and the Chateau Belle-Vue winery, restaurant and guesthouse developed, bringing life back to the hills and attracting tourists.

Although Lebanon’s wine industry often uses cheap Syrian labourers for harvesting, the workers picking grapes in the cool September dawn air were all local.

“We are proud... that the sons of Bhamdoun are on their land,” said Boutros.]]>10/7/2018 2:57:41 PMThe palace is undergoing a 369 million pound ($481 million) reservicing program to replace ageing and dangerous electrical wiring and boilers. It started in April last year and is due to be completed in 2027.

Towards the end of the works, the 92-year-old monarch and her husband Prince Philip, 97, will have to move out of their apartments in the palace’s north wing for about two years when work starts there in 2025.

“The queen is immensely pragmatic and she wants to stay in the palace,” a senior royal official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told reporters. “She said ‘let me know where you would like me to go’.”

So far, 3,000 meters of old cabling has been removed from the palace and work is now underway to empty the famous East Wing, the public facade of the building which includes the balcony on which the royal family appears on special occasions.

Next week, a compound for 200 contractors will be erected on the forecourt to one side of the building.

OPEN FOR BUSINESS
However, the palace will remain fully open for state visits and other regular events during the overhaul and its outward appearance will be unaffected as there will be no scaffolding, said Tony Johnstone-Burt, Master of the Queen’s Household

“I am absolutely convinced that by making this investment in the palace now, we will... avert a much more costly and potentially catastrophic failure of the building in the years to come,” he said.

The emptying of the East Wing will mean three of the queen’s four children - Princess Anne, Prince Andrew and Prince Edward - moving their offices. Heir-to-the-throne Prince Charles will be unaffected as his London home is at nearby Clarence House.

Some 3,000 artworks and other items such as beds, clocks and chandeliers from the Royal Collection, housed in 200 rooms in the wing - the palace’s largest - will be moved out over six months to allow the work to begin.

Tim Knox, Director of the Royal Collection, said some of these items would go on public display at other palaces while 150 objects would return to the Royal Pavilion in Brighton, George IV’s “bizarre” seaside home on the south coast of England from where they were moved in 1850 when that residence was sold.

Buckingham Palace was built in 1703 as a large private home and was only acquired by the monarch, King George III, in 1761.

The East Wing was part of an extension built in the reign of Queen Victoria. The front facade was refaced in 1914 in harder-wearing Portland stone when George V - Elizabeth’s grandfather - was on the throne.]]>10/6/2018 1:26:27 PMCairo Design Award (CDA) first appeared last year, when Mahdy Group established the concept looking to fill a gap in the market by creating a platform designed to shed light on the achievements and successes of both established and up and coming Egyptian designers. The award ceremony will be complemented with a 3-day exhibition, which will be hosted from the 11th to the 13th of October at the Nile Ritz Carlton, where CDA will introduce a new concept to the market known as the design showcase. The idea is to bring designers and manufacturers together to feature 40 unique design spaces, where an entire design concept is built around each featured product.

Talking about the exhibition and award, Hisham Mahdy, Founder of CDA and CEO of Mahdy Group, said, “We are very excited about the potential awards line-up, we have such great design talent in Egypt and we are so proud to be able to highlight the unique talent we have here. We are keen to shed light both locally and internationally on the exceptional work and products that these designers have to offer and a big part of what we are looking to do is support them in developing the international recognition and awareness they deserve. Egypt has an immense pool of design talent and with the right exposure we have a real opportunity to lead the international community in this field.”

In addition to the design showcase, CDA will host a range of workshops hosted by top designers to provide further insight on how to grow design businesses and compete more effectively on the local and international scene. Offering further opportunities to young designers, the showcase will also host a unique exhibition from the Egyptian Fashion and Design Council including ready to wear semi-couture accessories and jewelry from designers such as Temraz

The exhibition will culminate in the much-anticipated Cairo Design Award on October 13th, when Egypt’s most impressive designers will be recognized at an exclusive awards dinner, where leading designers will be recognized for their outstanding achievements in the awards 6 categories.]]>10/4/2018 4:34:26 PM ]]>10/3/2018 5:28:32 PMLe Meridien Cairo Airport celebrated Loyalty day one by hosting a cocktail reception for SPG members at Le Meridien Club Lounge where guests were warmly welcomed by the hotel General Manager Mr. Atef Wilson and were introduced to the new loyalty program as well.

]]>10/3/2018 5:19:02 PMMountain View - Ras El-Hikma occupies a total area of 428 acres. As it plans to place its grand project at the center of the new Sahel, Mountain View has chosen a perfect spot to construct it. Mountain View - Ras El-Hikma is just 20 minutes away off El-Dabaa Road, and 30 minutes off New El Alamein City.

The Greek spirit of the Cyclades is mirrored in Mountain View’s PAROS. The leading and only livable community in Ras El-Hikma is all designed according to the splendid Greek architecture. All units, varying between standalones, twin homes, boutique villas, and chalets, are paint in white and blue. PAROS’s tailor made Greek units fit all different and diverse family needs whether young couples looking for calm swimmable waters with their like-minded peers, friends or families, or even big families gathering for long summer vacations.

Mountain View has kept in mind its clients’ relief and extravagance, when it offered its clients a wide range of services and amenities. The new phase brings many of the latest experiences. Mountain View has allocated a special get-together spot for its community to mingle. The Central Pools of PAROS are spacious enough to accommodate large numbers of people at a time. They are developed especially to become the pulsing heart of Mountain View community, and with a wide range of food and beverage options, Mountain View guarantees to its clients that there will be no reason to go away from this social hub.

Mountain View has also added many Garden Pools in the new phase. They will cater each district individually, and they serve those clients who sometimes feel less social and need to relax in a calmer environment. Those pools are all surrounded by areas of grass and green spaces to create spa-like zones. In PAROS, you can certainly enjoy the intimacy of smaller pools closer to your home.

Moreover, Mountain View is bringing together the best parts of the pool and the sea in PAROS. PAROS’s brand new Swimmable Lagoon, which is 40,000 meters, offer an unmatched beach experience with almost 2 kilometers. With this new facility, the Mountain View community can enjoy a closer beach, a calmer sea, and a safer environment for the family to enjoy together. PAROS is bringing the beach closer to home, with its golden sand and crystal-clear water.

Mountain View has excessively given special attention to open spaces. Those Spaces to Breathe are made particularly to make every walk an enjoyable journey. They connect the Community Pools with the Garden Pools and provide beautifully manicured walkways for the community to enjoy PAROS’s open spaces that are ideal for daily walks. The shaded green areas, gardens, and landmark features give PAROS a truly distinctive glamour, and make people eager to spend more time there.

Be part of Mountain View community, and enjoy the rebuilt Greek unmatched experience, with its unparalleled architecture, beaches, and magnificence. You can choose your prefect spot in PAROS by booking your unit on www.mountainviewegypt.com or calling 16201.

]]>10/3/2018 2:29:51 PMMeghan married Queen Elizabeth’s grandson Harry in May this year, and on Wednesday the couple visited the so-called Sussex Declaration one of only two known handwritten parchment copies of America’s formative text, at Edes House in Chichester.

The manuscript had been stored for more than 60 years in a strong-room among miles of documents in the West Sussex Record Office, until its significance was revealed by two Harvard University researchers last year.

The declaration cast Britain as a tyranny.

“The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States,” it says.

Measuring 24 by 30 inches (60 by 76 cm), the Sussex Declaration is thought to date to the 1780s and most likely was written in New York or Philadelphia, and while other copies and printed versions of the Declaration exist, the only other ceremonial parchment is the Matlack Declaration, which dates from 1776 and is kept at the National Archives in Washington.

The trip will also include a visit to the Royal Pavilion in Brighton as Harry and Meghan pay their first trip to Sussex since they were made Duke and Duchess of the southern English county.

They will also visit a charity for survivors of sexual abuse before discussing mental health and emotional wellbeing with youth groups.]]>10/3/2018 1:46:25 PMThey include the first female physics prize winner in 55 years.

Arthur Ashkin of Bell Laboratories in the United States won half of the prize for inventing “optical tweezers” while Frenchman Gerard Mourou, who also has U.S. citizenship, and Canada’s Donna Strickland shared the other half for work on high-intensity lasers.

Strickland, of the University of Waterloo, Canada, becomes only the third woman to win a Nobel prize for physics, after Marie Curie in 1903 and Maria Goeppert-Mayer in 1963.

“Obviously we need to celebrate women physicists because we are out there and hopefully in time it will start to move forward at a faster rate,” she told news conference by telephone, shortly after learning of the prize.

The Nobel prizes have long been dominated by male scientists, and none more so than physics.

Strickland is the first female Nobel laureate in any field in three years. The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences said last year it would seek to more actively encourage nominations of women researchers to begin addressing the imbalance.

The inventions by the three scientists date back to the mid-1980s and over the years they have revolutionized laser physics.

“Advanced precision instruments are opening up unexplored areas of research and a multitude of industrial and medical applications,” the academy said on awarding the nine million Swedish crown ($1 million) prize.

Ashkin’s work was based on the realization that the pressure of a beam of light could push microscopic objects and trap them in position. A breakthrough came in 1987 when he used the new optical tweezers to grab living bacteria without harming them.

Ashkin, 96, is the oldest ever Nobel prize winner.

Mourou and Strickland’s research centered on developing the most intense laser pulses ever created by humans, paving the way for the precision instruments used today in corrective eye surgery and industrial applications.

The prizes for achievements in science, literature and peace have been awarded since 1901 in accordance with the will of Swedish business tycoon Alfred Nobel, whose discovery of dynamite generated a vast fortune used to fund the prize.

Physics is the second of this year’s crop of prizes and comes after the medicine prize was awarded on Monday for discoveries about how to harness and manipulate the immune system to fight cancer.

However, for the first time in decades no Nobel Prize for literature will be given this year after a scandal over sexual misconduct allegations saw a string of members leave the board of the Swedish Academy that awards it.]]>10/2/2018 1:48:39 PM“Due to OPPO’s strategic tactics in producing high-quality tech products that match the modern era’s constant technological upgrade and trends and also cope-up with young people changing interests, OPPO has been expanding globally in the Asian, European and Middle Eastern markets and especially the Egyptian market, since it is a promising market for OPPO’s expansion in the MEA region where it has seen a sweeping success for its F7 smartphone.”, stated Andy Shi, Managing Director - OPPO MEA.

Rapid Charge with VOOC

To keep up with the fast pace of modern life, OPPO F9 now introduces the VOOC Flash Charging tech in this price segment, which can provide 2 hours talk in 5-minute charge. This technology features a low voltage charging at 5V/4A, which provides a charging speed 4 times faster than the standard 5V/1A, which saves time and helps the user not to miss out on the fun.

Additionally, OPPO F9 presents a smart 5-layer protection system from the phone adaptor to the phone interior. VOOC has also installed an MCU to maintain a cool fast charging mechanism. F9 also contains a long-life battery of 3500 mAh and an optimized AI battery management. Briefly, it is safe to say that the new F9 guarantees a fast and safe charging mechanism as well as a long-lasting battery life.

Waterdrop Screen with Gradient Color

OPPO has always been in pursuit of the perfect combination of technology and art, therefore, it presents a new aesthetic design that meets today’s fashion sense. F9 adopts Gradient Spraying Technology combined with the “Frame Gradient” concept to create a natural fusion of different colors and offer a variety of gradient color matching options for users. The F9 will have three gradient color combinations —Sunrise Red, Twilight Blue and Starry Purple. This makes the surface appear less flat and more organic, resulting in a more appealing design than most other phones today.

F9 also introduces the Waterdrop design where the screen occupies the whole frame of the phone except for a water drop notch, giving it an artistic touch. This screen is of a 6.3 inch with a resolution of 2340x1080 and a ratio of 19.5:9, in addition to a high screen-to-body ratio of 90.8% giving the user a better optical experience.

From Selfie Expert to Portrait Artist

The smartphone is equipped with a dual rear camera (16MP + 2MP) that has f/1.8 aperture lens. The supporting secondary camera supports the main one by analyzing the depth-of-field to achieve better “Portrait” effect for rear photography. The rear camera now is supported by AI Recognition feature that can recognize 16 independent and 800 combined scenes. The front camera is of 25MP that supports the updated second generation of AI Beauty2.1, which provide users with up to 8 million different personalized beautification effects.

OPPO F9 operates with ColorOS 5.2 based on Android 8.1 and providing the user a live and more interactive experience. With a 4GB/6GB plus 64GB memory combination and a 256GB memory expansion to ensure user has enough space to store all his data and memories.

]]>10/1/2018 3:39:46 PMThe E-Commerce Summit, organized by robusta, took place in the Nile Ritz Carlton Hotel, September 26th in Cairo in attendance of H.E. Amr Talaat, Minister of Communications and Information Technology who gave a speech about the Egyptian Post project for E-Payment and the current direction of the government towards utilization of Data Science, Machine Learning and AI.

The event held 21 talks and 13 different panel discussions hosted by more than 80 speakers, who are all CEOs and senior managers in their respective companies sharing their expertise in more than 15 different industries, in the presence of over 1,500 international retailers and market leaders.

The summit discussed the potential of the Egyptian market to become one of the leading markets in e-commerce. Statistics show that the number of internet users in Egypt has reached 39.6 million in April, compared with 39.1 million users in March 2018.

The event evaluated the e-commerce future trends in Egypt with influence from international markets, with a focus on business-to-business online transactions. Since the launch of Amazon Business in 2015, the market has been consistently developing, attracting more than 1 million customers, according to Forbes.

Now, research identifies that 42% of B2B digital customers are millennials, optimizing payment solutions and increasing product options online. With this into consideration, the market targeting millennials has significantly increased, with the retail industry focusing more efforts into the millennial generation with online transactions as the main selling point.

“E-Commerce Summit is a starting point for the Egyptian market to evolve through digital transformation. The event has received immense support from market leaders in an effort to develop online trade, and we hope that this becomes an annual destination for major corporations and small and medium enterprises to contribute to the Egyptian market’s economic growth and development.” robusta’s CEO, Hussein Mohieldin, stated.

Mohieldin further added that the summit goals are compatible with the Egyptian government strategies embodied in the efforts exerted by Ministry of Telecommunications and Information Technology to support the digital transformation and e-commerce.

Mohieldin recognized government initiatives that have assisted in the growth of the industry such as the National E-commerce Strategy for Egypt, in which it collaborated with UNCTAD and a number of international organizations targeting Egypt as the next hotspot of growth in the e-commerce industry. The Egyptian government has developed the foundational framework to which the business environment continues to flourish with legislative changes like the Consumer Protection Acts, Cyber-Crime Law, as well as Data Protection Law.

Panel discussions and case studies were the highlight of the event upon which business leaders discussed the challenges of the progress of e-commerce in the market. This included panel discussions on policy, branding and marketing, as well as specialized talks on the technological advances behind e-commerce development like virtual reality systems. These discussions included business leaders of various industries as well as entrepreneurs that are focused on developing business ideas in their respective sectors.

The main theme of discussions focused on digital transformation to enable business development and consumer empowerment. Referring to recent studies, panelists confirmed that companies that have taken digital transformation as means to develop their operations reported a 26% increase in profit. Additionally, businesses with online transactions indicated that about 58% of companies relying on digital transformation and e-commerce strategies have a better focus on customer preferences, which constantly assist in developing their products and services.

Moreover, the event held robusta Startup Challenge in partnership with Falak to encourage innovation in the entrepreneurship market to accelerate progress and development within the e-commerce industry. Falak has been an avid supporter of the startup ecosystem, creating platforms for acceleration to enhance development of business ideas. Following an intense pitching challenge amongst 10 finalists during the competition, the winner “Kiliim” was chosen and awarded a cash prize of $10,000 to execute their business idea.

The E-Commerce Summit managed to explore the untapped potential of digital transformation in the country and the region with proposed technical solutions to develop business strategies. Companies attending and collaborating in the event created more interest among attendees proving the success of the market’s unfounded success.]]>10/1/2018 3:35:29 PMThe scientists’ work in the 1990s has since swiftly led to new and dramatically improved therapies for cancers such as melanoma and lung cancer, which had previously been extremely difficult to treat.

“The seminal discoveries by the two Laureates constitute a landmark in our fight against cancer,” the Nobel Assembly at Sweden’s Karolinska Institute said as it awarded the prize of nine million Swedish crowns ($1 million).

“Allison and Honjo showed how different strategies for inhibiting the brakes on the immune system can be used in the treatment of cancer,” it said.

The treatments, often referred to as “immune checkpoint therapy”, have “fundamentally changed the outcome for certain groups of patients with advanced cancer”, it added.

Medicine is the first of the Nobel Prizes awarded each year. The prizes for achievements in science, literature and peace were created in accordance with the will of dynamite inventor and businessman Alfred Nobel and have been awarded since 1901.

The literature prize will not be handed out this year after the awarding body was hit by a sexual misconduct scandal.

Allison and Honjo’s work had both worked on proteins that act as brakes on the immune system - preventing the body and its main immune cells, known as T-cells, from attacking tumor cells effectively.

Allison, professor at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in the United States, worked on a protein known as CTLA-4 and realized during his work that if this could be blocked, a brake would be released, unleashing immune cells to attack tumors.

Honjo, professor at Kyoto University since 1984, separately discovered a second protein called PD-1 and found that it too acted as an immune system brake, but with a different mechanism.

The discoveries led to the creation of a multibillion-dollar market for new cancer medicines. In particular, drugs targeting PD-1 blockade have proved a big commercial hit, offering new options for patients with melanoma, lung and bladder cancers.

U.S. drugmakers Merck & Co (MRK.N) and Bristol-Myers Squibb (BMY.N) currently lead the field after winning drug approvals in 2014, but Roche (ROG.S), AstraZeneca (AZN.L), Pfizer (PFE.N) and Sanofi (SASY.PA) are also fielding rivals. Sales of such medicines, which are given as infusions, are expected to reach some $15 billion this year, according to Thomson Reuters’ consensus forecasts, and some analysts see eventual revenues of $50 billion.

Thomas Perlmann, Secretary of the Nobel Committee of the Karolinska Institute told the news conference that he talked to Honjo over the phone just before the announcement.

“Honjo sounded extremely pleased,” Perlmann said. “He seemed rather surprised and expressed very clearly how pleased he was with the prize and also ...with sharing the prize with Allison.”

Perlmann said he had not yet managed to contact Allison.

Commenting on Monday’s award, Dan Davis, an immunologist at Britain’s University of Manchester, said “this game-changing cancer therapy” has “sparked a revolution in thinking about the many other ways in which the immune system can be harnessed or unleashed to fight cancer and other illnesses.”

“I think this is just the tip of the iceberg - many more medicines like this are on the horizon,” he said.]]>10/1/2018 1:40:52 PMYoga can: 1- Give you an emotional boost, since it makes people happier as it calms them down and helps them better control stress and anxiety, giving them peace of mind after only one class.

3- Help drug addicts quit, as it replaces artificial highs with natural ones. It is a powerful way to ease one’s way through recovery and to gain the peace of mind needed to beat addiction.

4- Help people conquer insomnia; studies show that incorporating yoga into one’s daily routine can boost the quality of sleep. In a 2005 study, 69 elderly patients were assigned to practice yoga, take an herbal preparation or become part of a control group. The participants in the yoga group fell asleep faster, slept longer and felt well-rested in the morning compared to other groups.

5- Help alleviate migraines; evidence shows that yoga can be used as an adjunct therapy for headaches and migraines as it stimulates the vagus nerve which is effective in relieving migraines.

6- Boost memory; yoga isn't just good for the body, it helps the memory too. A new study suggests that taking a weekly class of Kundalini yoga, which involves breathing exercises, chanting, and mediation, improves the memory.
]]>9/30/2018 12:50:46 PMLVMH, the world’s biggest luxury group and owner of mega-brands such as Louis Vuitton, is pushing Celine as its next star performer under Slimane, as it rolls out a men’s line and fragrances, and further develops online sales.

Celine’s former creative director Phoebe Philo, who stepped down in December, had already added to its appeal among fashionistas with a quality of understated elegance, and the label was also sought after for its handbags.

With Slimane - a trendsetter credited with revolutionizing menswear with the razor-thin silhouettes he introduced at LVMH’s Christian Dior in the early 2000s - Celine is in for radical change, beyond the accented “e” he has already ditched from the brand name, to a mixed reaction on social media.

A star-studded catwalk show just outside the Invalides monument in Paris where Napoleon is buried - attended by singer Lady Gaga, actress Catherine Deneuve and fashion royalty including self-professed Slimane fan Karl Lagerfeld - gave a sense of the brand’s ambitions.

Following a quite literal drum roll by members of a special French gendarmerie unit, a model emerged from a sea of mirrors in a black and white, polka-dotted oversized bow of a mini-dress, setting the tone for a largely monochrome collection.

Black suits for him followed sexy, sequined black dresses for her, with occasional splashes of silver and gold outfits fit for the disco, and buckled biker boots for a rock-and-roll edge.

The collection put Celine firmly in the sexy, evening-wear territory staked out by Saint Laurent - the brand owned by LVMH rival Kering and where Slimane held the design reins from 2012 to 2016 - at a time when other labels are turning out more so-called streetwear, with sportier looks and sneakers.

LVMH boss Bernard Arnault has said the group aims to grow annual revenue at Celine to between 2 billion and 3 billion euros ($2.3 billion - $3.5 billion) within five years, from close to 1 billion euros now.

Other high-stakes designer debuts in the past month of spring and summer fashion shows in New York, London and Milan included ex-Givenchy star Riccardo Tisci’s first collection for Britain’s Burberry.]]>9/29/2018 12:22:50 PMIt is expected that some children will express distress or fear about being away from parents and primary caregivers for the first time. This can manifest in a school refusal disorder.

How can you recognize if your child is distressed about going to school? They may exhibit the following symptoms:

- Feeling sick or waking up with headaches, stomachaches or sore throats, but finding that those suddenly disappear when you allow them to stay home.
- Refusing to get out of bed and hiding under the covers.
- Threatening to self-harm.
- Exhibiting physical symptoms such as dizziness or light headedness, frequent urination, diarrhea, muscle tension, racing heart, shaking or trembling, shortness of breath or hyperventilation and vomiting
- Child frequently asks about his parent and calls them

Fortunately, there are some steps that you can take to help your child overcome ‘school refusal’:

- Consult a doctor if your child complains about physical illness.
- Talk with your child, try to know what are the reasons and fix them.
- Avoid lecturing as long debates won’t do any good.
- Avoid separation anxiety and give your child more attention.
- Be a detective for a while: Look for clues as to what is causing your child to avoid school, there's no point in putting your child on the defensive.
- Sleep deprivations increases symptoms of anxiety and depression; establish healthy sleeping habits and keep a regular sleep cycle.
]]>9/28/2018 2:39:20 PMVisitors to Tokyo and other major Japanese cities are often stunned to see convoys of karts driven by people -- usually tourists -- dressed up as Mario, Yoshi, Princess Peach and other popular Nintendo characters buzzing around busy streets.

Unlike many countries, Japan has no ban on people driving go-karts on public roads.

But the court ruling looks set to bring such Nintendo-themed antics screaching to a halt.

The video gaming giant said the ruling blocks the "MariCAR" go-kart service from lending Mario and other characters' costumes to its customers.

Nintendo complained its popular racing game "Mario Kart" is known widely as "MariKar", just like the go-kart service's name.

It also argued that the karting company had not been given permission to allow drivers to dress up as its characters, or use photo and video footage from the racing game in its publicity materials.

"We will continue to take necessary steps against damage being done to our brand and intellectual properties, which we have spent years to build," Nintendo said in a brief statement.

Nintendo added that it also won damages but did not discuss the financial amount.

The go-kart operator Mari Mobility, which has changed its official name from MariCar, said in a brief statement that it will review the ruling before deciding what to do next.

The company website says its service "is in no way a reflection" of Nintendo's Mario Kart, and tells customers not to race one another, nor throw banana peels or red turtle shells -- all things you can famously do in Nintendo's frenetic racing game.

Occasional accidents among go-karters on Japan's streets have prompted authorities to require operators improve safety measures, like having seat belts and wearing helmets.]]>9/27/2018 3:01:48 PMMore than ever in tune with the current concerns of the farming world, the next edition of SIMA will pursue its initiatives alongside the sector and offer an all-round perspective on themes of major importance: from organic farming to AgTech and from agronomy to livestock. A wide range of subjects through which to showcase the performance of all forms of agriculture.

Meeting current and future challenges

SIMA is positioned as the worthwhile meeting for the sector’s players to address economic, climate, environmental and demographic challenges. In this respect, the Agrosupplies Village has been created this year, bringing together the sector of seeds, fertilisers and crop protection. 2019 will also feature the debut for a special Livestock Day, echoing SIMAGENA, acknowledged for the diversity of its cattle and its genetics hub.

In addition, the exhibition is repeating the major events such as the SIMA African Summit, an international conference addressing a theme in connection with this continent’s most topical developments; SIMA Dealers’ Day, bringing together distributors from around the world, and talks and round tables organised in association with AXEMA on a wide range of subjects (organic farming, connected farming, agronomy, etc.).

SIMA, revealing innovation from the farming world

One of SIMA’s most distinctive features is innovation, which will once again be at the heart of the 2019 show, with the second edition of the Start-Up Village, even bigger and more international than the first. The Innovation Village, meanwhile, will host the Foresight Forum and its video wall, the Innovation Gallery, the showcase for the SIMA Innovation Awards and their innovative or futuristic agricultural machinery and services, and profiles of innovative farmers from France and around the world.

An international venue for exchange and business

At its last edition, SIMA welcomed visitors from 135 countries, making the exhibition a reference for all farmers. Looking towards 2019, this show is stepping up its promotional actions through its international network of 47 offices and an active visitor recruitment campaign in more than 90 countries, in particular in Latin America (Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Mexico, Peru, Venezuela) and in Eastern Europe (Ukraine, Russia).

During a press conference held April 19, at Business France – the office responsible for connecting Egyptian and French businesses and companies, among other economic work – Ludvic Prévost, director of Business France’s office in Egypt, invited Egyptian food and beverage businesses and companies to attend the 2018 Salon International de l’Alimentation/International Food Exhibition (SIAL), which will take place from October 21 to 25, 2018 at Paris Nord Villepinte.

SIAL Paris 2018: snapshot months before its opening

SIAL Paris is a unique global event involving food companies from all over the world, seconded by Anuga Food Tech, according to special statements by Prévost to Egypt Today. Almost 90 percent of the exhibition floor space has already been reserved, and more than 80 countries have already confirmed their attendance; some 20 foreign ministers are set to attend, as well as about 80 ambassadors, according to Prévost’s statements.

The SIAL exhibition lasts for five days, during which exhibitors have the opportunity to present their products to 160,000 professional visitors from all around the world, according to Prévost. In 2016, the last year the exhibition was held, as it is held every two years, there were 154,000 visitors, but that number is expected to rise this year.

Depending on their preferences, their expectations and their needs, these visitors will be able to explore the exhibition by reference to sector or to the world's regions.

During the last edition, more than 700 Egyptian visitors attended SIAL Paris, of which 90 percent were decision makers; however, according to Prévost, this is only one percent of those who attended. “We [Business France] believe that this number can increase this year. Last year, only one percent of those who attended were Egyptians, but I think that this year there will be more Egyptians there,” said Prévost.

When asked about what Egyptians mostly focus on in the exhibition, Prévost and Baptiste Dimas, agri-food department manager at the Business Finance office in Egypt, told Egypt Today that the focus is mostly on fruits and vegetables. During the press conference, Dimas revealed that 109 Egyptian companies were involved in SIAL 2016, with EL-Doha, El-Sakr and Domty among the biggest.

Trade relations between France and Egypt are close, and commercial exchanges between France and Egypt reached €2.5 billion ($3.1 billion) in fiscal year 2016/2017, according to official statements released by the Egyptian authorities. From the €2.5 billion, €1.9 billion was exports from France to Egypt and the remaining €0.6 billion was exports from Egypt to France. France is Egypt’s sixth largest supplier of goods and seventh largest export client, and the European Union is Egypt’s closest trade partner, according to Prévost, who also revealed that “We [Business France] have real interest from French companies in the country.” They are looking for partnerships and looking to expand in Egypt, especially that “Egypt is France’s primary trade partner in the Middle East and North Africa,” he said.

Building on this, Prévost told Egypt Today that Business France is looking to increase the presence of Egyptian companies this year. “We [Business France] want Egyptians to come to Paris and meet with importers and also exporters,” explained Prévost.

There are three objectives that Prévost and Business France have from the SIAL 2018 exhibition: increasing French exports to Egypt, stimulating Egyptian exports to France and stimulating Egyptian exports to the European Union.

In comments to Egypt Today, Prévost said, “More and more French companies are coming to develop partnerships with Egyptian companies … the number of partnerships between Egyptian and French companies now are ten times the number they were three years ago.”

In 2018, two ideas make their reappearance. First, beverages will again be under the spotlight. Second, “Made in France” products will be assembled and promoted under the same banner. Moreover, the “equipment and services” zone will be back once again to allow micro-enterprises and small and medium enterprises (SMEs), which constitute 85 percent of exhibitors, to present their technologies and equipment.

The Alternative Food Sector: show within a show

This edition of SIAL will be offering a new special exhibition just for the Alternative Food sector, with hundreds of renowned experts on healthy eating from all around the world expected to visit. “It is a unique potpourri of experiences that we will be proposing for the first time in 2018,” explains Nicolas Trentesaux, director of SIAL Network. “SIAL has always been at the vanguard in food matters, and this year we wish to go even further with this Alternative Food sector, organised against the backdrop of SIAL, the world's leading food innovation exhibition.”

About SIAL Paris

Organised by Comexposium Group, SIAL Paris is one of the members of SIAL Network, the world's biggest network of trade fairs dedicated to food and drink. Its eight regular exhibitions (SIAL Paris, SIAL Canada in Montreal and Toronto, SIAL China, SIAL Middle East, SIAL Interfood in Jakarta, and FOOD India Inspired by SIAL in New Delhi) bring together 14,535 exhibitors and 359,800 visitors from 194 countries.

The Comexposium Group, a world leader in events organisation, is involved in more than 170 B2C and B2B events, covering 11 sectors of activity as varied as the food industry, agriculture, fashion, homeland security, construction, high-tech, optics and transport. Comexposium plays host to 45,000 exhibitors and more than 3 million visitors in 23 countries around the world.
]]>9/26/2018 4:46:00 PMThe rectangular cut Pink Legacy is rated “vivid”, the highest rating for a diamond’s color, and weighs 18.96 carats, making it the largest fancy vivid pink diamond Christie’s has ever offered for auction.

It was once part of the Oppenheimer collection, Christie’s said, referring to the family who built De Beers into the world’s biggest diamond trader.

“Its exceptional provenance will no doubt propel it into a class of its own as one of the world’s greatest diamonds,” said Rahul Kadakia, international head of jewelry at Christie’s.

Only four vivid pink diamonds of over 10 carats have ever been offered for sale at auction, with a record price per carat set last November when Christie’s Hong Kong sold “The Pink Promise”, an oval-shaped diamond of just under 15 carats, for $32,480,500.

The Pink Legacy will be shown in Hong Kong, London and New York before being auctioned by Christie’s Geneva on Nov. 13.]]>9/25/2018 3:15:28 PMThe event, which attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors to Cascais every year, aims to “celebrate colors and forms in all their nuances, senses and aspects”, according to the organizers.

It also hopes to highlight the historical heritage of Cascais, a former fishing village that became a first-class travel destination by the end of the 19th century.

This year’s installations included an interactive skate ramp that flashed with different colored lights and shapes as skateboarders rode over it.

“There are so many different things so your mind is just kind of watching it,” said Terry Reel, an American tourist visiting Portugal. “It’s just so delightful.]]>9/24/2018 2:57:37 PMMunich’s mayor, Dieter Reiter, kicked off the festivities by tapping open the first beer keg with a traditional shout of “O zapft is!” (“It’s tapped” in English).

Revelers arrived early to secure spaces at the coveted long communal tables in tents, where visitors swig beer, munch on sausages, pretzel or pork knuckle, and listen to oompah bands.

Oktoberfest has its origins in a horse race that took place in 1810 to celebrate the wedding of Bavarian Crown Prince Ludwig and Princess Therese of Saxony-Hildburghausen.

The public festivities on the Theresienwiese open ground - named after the bride - became more elaborate as time went on, with stalls and amusement rises and it gradually turned into a folk festival.

Oktoberfest attracts around six million visitors every year, with some traveling from abroad for the experience. This year’s festival runs from Sept. 22 to Oct. 7.]]>9/23/2018 4:24:15 PMMore than 54 percent of the subjects of the study are suspicious when it comes to news circulating on the internet, the study confirmed.

The study stated that rates of decreasing the use of social media as a reliable news source came as follows: 85 percent for Brazil, 69 percent for Spain, and 64 percent for the USA.

The study illustrates a worldwide research that took into consideration 24 countries in three continents: 11 countries in Europe, 6 in North and South America, and 7 countries from Asia.

Moreover, the research was conducted by You Gov using multiple online questionnaires, which took into consideration multiple factors, including gender, age, and region.

The research showed that 44 percent of the study subjects trust news “overall”, while 51 percent only trust news “they use”. Meanwhile, 34 percent said that they trust news in search engines, and only 23 percent trust news in social networking websites.

This in fact reflects their bad experience with fake news published on different social media platforms such as Facebok and Twitter, and which can definitely lead to “confusion, greater skepticism, and ultimately to lack of trust,” according to the research.

The report also tackled consumers’ opinions on the news that are being published by different media outlets, as they showed their concern about its credibility and objectivity.

Consequently, the study concluded that there are two main factors that challenge and affect news transparency.

Firstly, it showed that the political climate and oppression badly affect news credibility, especially when dealing with news circulating within authoritarian or totalitarian regimes. The second challenge is economic, which basically impulses different news sources to be biased as they are not independent.

Hence, more than half of media consumers are sophisticated enough to differentiate between fake and real news, so they prefer to follow up particular media outlets which had long, clean, and objective history, according to the results of the study.

Furthermore, the study revealed that some consumers prefer receiving news feed through applications on their smart phones (ios/android/windows) or through e-mails.

However, 37 percent of the study subjects say that “nothing will persuade them to sign up” for newsletter, 18 percent will be encouraged if they “can control the number received”, and 16 percent would like to reduce duplicated news from different providers, according to the research results.

The decrease of the percentage of those who trust social media came particularly after Facebook’s latest privacy concerns, which in turn made it difficult to retain its ranking as a reliable news source.
]]>9/23/2018 3:26:55 PMYoung girls are raised in a society where “Barbie” portrays perfection; at this tender age, they are influenced by external stimuli, and throughout the years they become unconsciously convinced that being Barbie is a goal to be able to fit in the society.

In 2009, Dallas cowboy cheerleader Barbie was given the worst toy of the year award. Furthermore, Dr Susan Linn, the director of CCFC, said that it embodies a host of harmful expectations about what girls are supposed to be like, noting that it is an unattainable goal as it is not even realistic.

Studies showed girls who play with Barbie have lower self-esteem and greater desire to be thin, while girls who play with regular sized dolls ate a more reasonable amount of food.

Girls who play with Barbie thought they should be ideal and have the same body, hair and facial features as their doll or they shouldn’t be living at all.

That study might answer the parents asking why their children have low self-confidence and are drowning in their insecurities. They think that their faces, bodies and hair are ugly as they don’t suit the Barbie goal, a parent added on Barbie official page.

Unfortunately, this happens every day. Children start starving themselves, obliging themselves to throw up, thinking about doing severe plastic surgeries, and suffering from eating disorders in order to achieve this fake ideal image in their minds.

It is worth mentioning that the average age at which girls start dieting is now eight! Isn’t that hilarious?

To overcome this threat, parents have to monitor their children’s use of toys, and make sure they teach their kids the potential damaging results of being a copy of someone or something. Also, parents should help their children look up to real role models and have real achievable goals.

On the other hand, some people disagreed with the abovementioned opinion on Barbie and stated that it positively affects their children as it entertains and encourages girls to believe that they can be anything they want to be.

Barbie came in various versions, including the president Barbie, the rock star Barbie, the doctor Barbie, the gymnast Barbie, and the astronaut Barbie, teaching children to use their imagination and dream big.
Barbie also sends an anti-racism message through Barbie's Asian, black, Latina friends who come from all walks of life and their differences are never a problem.

The picture was taken from an angle which made it hard to see the vehicle from the first glance; without noticing the front tire, it is impossible to notice the car itself.

Social media users recalled the movies where the idea of optical illusion was well presented, such as the well-known action movie "Predator", where the alien managed to make itself invisible.

Also, some users claimed that the image is entirely fake, as they thought it was impossible to take such a photo without carefully editing and retouching it to appear like that. Up until now, there is no confirmation from the person who captured this photo that it is real by posting another photo of the same vehicle or by revealing how he could capture this photo.
]]>9/20/2018 10:09:00 AMThe heart of the Vantage is the new alloy, 4-liter twin-turbo V8 engine. Set low and as far back in the chassis as possible for optimal center-of-gravity and perfect 50:50 weight distribution. With a dry weight of 1530 kg this gives the Vantage formidable power-to-weight and torque-to-weight ratios - something vividly demonstrated whenever the throttle is squeezed. Detailed tuning of the induction, exhaust and engine management systems has given the Vantage a truly intoxicating character and soundtrack. The Vantage deploys its impressive power and torque to the rear wheels via a rear-mounted ZF eight-speed automatic transmission.

Aston Martin’s brand manager, Mohamed El Fakhoury simply stated, “I’m enormously excited and wanted the arrival of the all new Aston martin Vantage to be first displayed to the public at the Capital Promenade to best feature this car and showoff its amazing stance. I displayed the white exterior with black interior with a base value of EGP 5.4 million to EGP 5.9 million for the Egypt market”.

2019 Aston Martin Vantage lands in Cairo before any other market outside Europe

2019 Aston Martin Vantage lands in Cairo before any other market outside Europe

2019 Aston Martin Vantage lands in Cairo before any other market outside Europe

2019 Aston Martin Vantage lands in Cairo before any other market outside Europe

2019 Aston Martin Vantage lands in Cairo before any other market outside Europe

2019 Aston Martin Vantage lands in Cairo before any other market outside Europe

2019 Aston Martin Vantage lands in Cairo before any other market outside Europe]]>9/19/2018 10:21:41 PMHealthy lunches and snacks are essential for children’s health in order to keep their vitality during the school day. Egypt Today has prepared for you a cheat sheet on what to pack for your kids.

- Avoid chips and packs of crisps, as they are high in fat and calories which can raise the risk of obesity.

- Dairy products such as cheese, grated cheese, milk or yoghurt.

- Don’t provide them with fruit yogurt regularly, as it is high in sugar.

- Include starchy food like bread and crackers in the box.

- Advise them to drink reasonable amounts of water.

A balanced lunchbox should contain a variety of nutritious foods from each of the five food elements: grains, fruits, vegetables, dairy and protein.

Variety ensures that children obtain important nutrients that are essential for their growth and development, and that keep them alert throughout the school day.

Also, one of the most important things to keep in mind is the material from which the boxes are made. Boxes that have the number “5” incised on the bottom are safe for keeping hot and cold foods fresh and should be kept in refrigerators not freezers.

1- Search for the “BPA FREE”; it means that the box is free of “Bisphenol A” which can transfer plastic to the food inside.

2- The boxes should be easy to clean.

3- Keep an ice cube alongside the lunchbox to keep the food fresh.

4- Choose a lunchbox that can be used in microwaves.

5- Avoid using plastic bags especially with hot food.
]]>9/19/2018 10:05:42 AMActresses Alison Brie, Judith Light and Tatiana Maslany all chose sunny yellow for the television industry’s highest honors, which were being handed out in a downtown Los Angeles theater on a hot late-summer day.

Bucking the heat, Light wore a slim, long-sleeved, yellow gown with a turtleneck. “Orphan Black” star Maslany wore a custom pant suit with a yellow one-shouldered top, black pants and a yellow sash cascading from her waist to the floor.

They walked a carpet that was colored gold instead of the traditional red to celebrate the Emmys 70th anniversary.

White also was popular, the pick of Kristen Bell and Scarlett Johansson. “The Sinner” star Jessica Biel wore a strapless white gown with a scallop pattern and full skirt.

Some of the top nominees stood out in bright colors. Actresses Rachel Brosnahan and Sandra Oh shined in red, while Elisabeth Moss wore traditional black.

Jennifer Lewis, an actress on “black-ish,” sported a red-and-black Nike sweatshirt with a sparkling silver swoosh logo, which she said was a show of support after the brand featured NFL star Colin Kaepernick in a new ad campaign. Kaepernick was the first NFL player to kneel during the national anthem as a protest against racism.

“The artist’s duty is to reflect the times,” she said. “I stand up for what I feel is right.”

The late-summer heat hung over the carpet. “I’m just looking for water,” said “Barry” star Bill Hader, dressed in a black-and-white tuxedo.

“Black-ish” star Tracee Ellis Ross picked one of the most daring outfits - a hot pink gown with a full pleated skirt and large puffy top. Ross said she spotted the Valentino gown on a runway in Paris.

Tiffany Haddish also stood out with a striped blue, red, yellow and green dress.

“I have on vintage Guccis that are mine,” King said. “They are broken in. They are dancing shoes.”]]>9/18/2018 12:18:18 PMThe Hubb Community Project was created last summer by women seeking somewhere to cook fresh food for their families and friends following the blaze which engulfed the 24-storey social housing block in west London.

The new book, “Together: Our Community Cookbook”, a collection of 50 recipes from the diverse users of the communal kitchen at the Al Manaar Muslim Cultural Heritage Centre, will be used to allow the project to expand and open for up to seven days a week.

“I immediately felt connected to this community kitchen; it is a place for women to laugh, grieve, cry and cook together,” Meghan, who first visited the kitchen in January and has made other private visits since, wrote in a foreword.

“Melding cultural identities under a shared roof, it creates a space to feel a sense of normalcy – in its simplest form, the universal need to connect, nurture, and commune through food, through crisis or joy – something we can all relate to.”

Meghan’s support for the project is her first solo venture since becoming a member of Britain’s royal family after marrying Queen Elizabeth’s grandson Prince Harry in May.

The Grenfell fire was Britain’s deadliest fire on domestic premises since World War Two and there was criticism that the authorities were slow to provide new permanent accommodation for many of the survivors.

One of the contributors to the book, Munira Mahmud, 34, said she and her friends had approached Al-Manaar to ask if they could use the kitchen there and the Hubb project - hubb means love in Arabic - arose out of it.

“Last summer, we were placed in a hotel and I had no kitchen to cook for my family,” Mahmud wrote. “It was very emotional for me to get in the kitchen. The moment I started cooking I was in tears. I didn’t know why though. I was just excited to be back in the kitchen again.

“Word started to spread – the mums from my son’s school came along and they told their friends, too. Soon there were women from different cultures all cooking, swapping recipes, talking and laughing together.”

The duchess is photographed on the front of the of the book helping out and Mahmud said the royal had been happy to join in.

“She wore an apron,” she wrote. “I can’t believe I made her wash rice! After we said that we could only use the kitchen twice a week due to funding, she mentioned, ‘How about sharing your recipes with other people?’. And that’s how it happened.”

Meghan will host an event at Kensington Palace, where her home with Harry is located, on Sept. 20 to launch the cookbook with the Royal Foundation administering proceeds from sales to the Hubb project.]]>9/17/2018 1:16:09 PMChung, a fashion darling who has collaborated with British clothing retailer Marks & Spencer and had a Mulberry handbag named after her, swapped the coveted catwalk front row for backstage - sending out models in her eponymous brand, which she launched last year.

Her airport lounge-themed show nodded to hot destinations with white on beige trouser suits, light beach dresses, and shorts, as well as aviation-style jumpsuits and dungarees.

“This show has always been really clear in my mind,” fashion magazine British Vogue quoted Chung as saying on its website.

“I wanted it to be a fantasy airport where all these different characters are popping up.”

Double-breasted jackets were long and belted at the waist. Chung took inspiration from 1930s silk crepe dresses for short-sleeved frocks, but there were also nods to the 1970s with waistcoats and a darker palette including mustard, brown and burgundy.

Chung also kept the cooler British summer in mind with shiny raincoats.

Known for his avant-garde creations, Gareth Pugh said he was celebrating “outsider society” and “London as a cradle of creative extremism” at his show, where red- and black-lined prints and bright colors dominated.

Models wore jackets slashed at the arms with pointed shoulders, as well as see-through raincoats. Trouser suits were deconstructed while dresses came in a variety of eye-catching and exaggerated shapes.

The designer picked women ranging in age and profession, including “Peaky Blinders” actress Helen McCrory and pregnant model Arizona Muse, to unveil her collection of printed summer dresses and sequined trouser suits.

The Temperley London show began with pale pink and peach romantic dresses in various feminine cuts before turning to darker tones for sequined evening frocks.

The looks were accessorized with strappy sandals.

“I wanted to show various ages - people that were actresses, musicians, chefs, DJs,” Temperley said backstage, adding that she wanted the summer line to be “light, colorful, playful”.

Julien Macdonald closed the second day of London Fashion Week with plenty of sparkles, sending out his models in glittery dresses slashed at the thigh, front or back. The revealing frocks came in a range of colors and metallics.

Male models also showcased sparkling vest tops and jackets.

London Fashion Week is the second leg of the month-long catwalk season during which designers are presenting their spring/summer 2019 womenswear lines.]]>9/16/2018 3:05:37 PMFood relief in the Caribbean is familiar ground for Andrés, 49, a Michelin-starred chef praised for his cutting-edge cuisine. His World Central Kitchen charitable operation has been active in Haiti in response to the deadly earthquake that shook that island in 2010.

Andrés’ book “We Fed an Island,” co-authored with Richard Wolffe, chronicles the scramble for food and water and working kitchens to feed Puerto Ricans who could not leave.

“Food was giving hope and the stability to one community at a time,” the Spanish-born chef told Reuters during a book tour.

President Donald Trump, facing criticism of his administration’s Puerto Rico relief effort as Hurricane Florence approached the Carolinas, tweeted on Wednesday that the government “did an unappreciated great job in Puerto Rico, even though an inaccessible island with very poor electricity...”

Armed with the experience of serving three million meals in Puerto Rico, Andrés said he and his team will do the same for residents in the Carolinas, where Hurricane Florence made landfall on Friday.

“What I know is whatever that’s needed, we are ready,” he said.

100,000 MEALS DAILY

Puerto Rico was struck by the most powerful storm in almost a century on Sept. 17, 2017.

The death toll from Maria is estimated to have reached nearly 3,000 and has cost $90 billion. It also left much of the island without electricity for months.

Andrés flew to San Juan less a week after Maria hit. He quickly developed a feeding plan with friends and local chefs. They traveled daily to secure supplies to make sandwiches and prepare sancocho, a meat and vegetable soup.

They eventually were serving 100,000 meals a day across the island.

Besides less-than-ideal cooking conditions, Andrés was pushing back against red tape and what local officials and critics have perceived as inadequate federal response to Maria.

“When I tweeted that the federal government was letting Puerto Ricans down and leaving them to die, those are real calls for help. Those are real calls for actions,” he said.

Trump this week disputed Puerto Rico’s death toll, tweeting: “3000 people did not die in the two hurricanes that hit Puerto Rico. When I left the Island, AFTER the storm had hit, they had anywhere from 6 to 18 deaths.”

While Andrés has criticized government leadership in rebuilding Puerto Rico, he said he received plenty of support from members of the Navy, National Guard and Department of Homeland Security on the ground.

“I’m not in the government. People like me should be speaking up,” Andrés said.]]>9/15/2018 12:46:35 PMThe new technology - dubbed the Adaptable Deployable Entry Placement Technology (ADEPT) - stores like a folded umbrella inside smaller rockets, opening handle-up in space to protect larger payloads as they enter a planet's atmosphere, said Brandon Smith, NASA's principal investigator on the project. The shape allows it to protect larger areas than current heat shields.

"At the larger scales, it could be used for something as grand as human Mars explorations, or potentially human cargo landings on Mars," Smith told Reuters at the Spaceport America launch site, about 50 miles (80 km) north of Las Cruces, New Mexico.

NASA is preparing to send a new rover robotic lander to Mars in 2020 and plans to send human astronauts in 2033. The rover will search for previous signs on life on Mars and demonstrate technology that could help astronauts survive there.

The goal of sending humans to Mars was set in 2010 during the administration of President Barack Obama and was affirmed by President Donald Trump last December.

Before NASA can send humans to Mars, it will need to land a lot of cargo there and the new heat shield could help if it works, Smith said. The system also could also be used with crew capsules, protecting astronauts.

ADEPT, launched with a Spaceloft suborbital rocket made by UP Aerospace, was tested at the spaceport in southern New Mexico. It deployed between 100 and 120 kilometers before opening and making its way back to Earth, landing at White Sands Missile Range.

Data gathered from the test will not be available until the shield is recovered, officials said. The system, once implemented, will allow NASA to send more complex missions to other planets.

"Typically, heat shields are rigid structures, but this one can actually deploy in space," Smith said. "What that allows you to do is to get around the volume constraints of a typical launch vehicle that are long and slender."

The new heat shield also can be used to run recoverable experiments in Earth's upper atmosphere and send probes to Venus, Smith said. ]]>9/13/2018 1:30:00 AMThe stains, which Greek media reports said had appeared on items such as icons, marble columns and inscribed tablets displayed at the Christian and Byzantine Museum in July, had befuddled authorities. Some smears also appeared at the Benaki Museum about a month later.

But on Sunday, a clerk at the National Historical Museum at Old Parliament House in Athens alerted guards when a woman showed up with a companion with what appeared to be an oily hand.

“I noticed that one of the ladies had a greasy hand ... I alerted the guards and drew their attention to it,” the unnamed clerk told Greece’s Alpha TV.

Police officials said the two women were under investigation for attempting to damage public property. In both cases the damage was minor.

According to Greece’s state run Athens News Agency, the suspects told police they thought the oil had healing properties and that, they said, dousing relics was dictated by the Bible. They had a bottle in their possession when they were arrested.

Both told police they had no intention of causing any damage while one said she was a member of a religious group, judicial sources said on Monday.

The women, who spent a short time in detention before being released, face misdemeanor charges under Greek law.

The two museums said at the time they were investigating the incidents but have not commented publicly since then.]]>9/12/2018 1:11:20 PMELITE is Netflix’s second Spanish Original series and is directed by Ramón Salazar (Sunday’s Illness, Three Steps Above Heaven) and Dani de la Orden (El Mejor Verano de mi vida, Party Town), written by Carlos Montero (The Time in Between and creator of Physical or Chemical) and Darío Madrona (Génesis, La chica de ayer and co-creator of the very successful The Protected).

Las Encinas is the best and most exclusive school in Spain, where the elite send their children to study. It's also where three working class kids have just been admitted after their academy was collapsed and the local council divvied up the students between other schools in the area. They thought that they'd lucked out...but maybe they weren't so lucky after all.

The clash between those who have everything and those who have nothing to lose creates a perfect storm that ultimately ends in a murder. Who is behind the crime? Is it one of these recent arrivals from a different world? Or is there something deeper hiding beneath the surface?

The show is executive produced by Zeta Audiovisual (Ahora o Nunca, Three Steps Above Heaven, I Want You) with the first season consisting of 8 episodes and entirely shot in 4K. ]]>9/11/2018 2:31:48 PMHerrera, 79, whose timeless designs were worn by five first ladies, handed creative directorship of the label to American designer Wes Gordon in February.

Gordon, who worked with the Venezuelan-born Herrera for a year, said “she wanted to be surprised today when she saw the collection. So this is her first time seeing everything.”

The collection, with plaids, florals and bold prints, “is about a woman who is not a wallflower, who’s looking for beautiful happy colors when she opens her wardrobe in the morning,” he said.

“I think the world needs a little more joy, and your wardrobe is a very good place to start.”

For inspiration, he turned to old pictures of Herrera in search of the pulse of the house.

Using specialized fabrics, deep colors and bold prints in addition to the traditional pastels of Spring, Gordon said he “played with the classic Herrera cotton shirt.”

“We make the most perfect white shirt. We wanted to show a lot of different tweaks and variations on that today, so we took that fabric and we did everything from little smocked dresses to polka dot combinations.

“And then the embroideries ... it really is an embroidery house creating these pieces that are really American culture.”

Celebrities filled the show, among fashion week’s hottest tickets, held at the New York Historical Society.

Slideshow (10 Images)
New York Fashion Week, previewing the latest looks for Spring 2019, concludes on Wednesday with a party in the borough of Brooklyn featuring pop superstar Rihanna’s Savage x Fenty lingerie line.]]>9/11/2018 11:41:38 AM

The pioneers of Facebook provoked the idea and users propagated the argument by creating polls, sharing and supporting their opinions. Some said, “it should be cold and crispy to be delicious.” Meanwhile, another party stressed "hot milk makes it crumbly and that’s how it should be."

However, others added “we eat it without milk.” Rapidly cornflakes became the focus of attention on social media.

According to a poll conducted by Identity Magazine on September 1, most people prefer it with cold milk as 70 percent of those who participated in the poll prefer it with cold milk, compared to 30 percent for the hot milk choice.

While people were busy voting enthusiastically to clinch the issue, eventually a production company of the cornflakes ended the debate. On its Facebook page, the company posted, “we recommend cornflakes with cold milk in order to remain crispy,” sarcastically adding Egyptian star youssra's picture with the caption “those who prefer it with hot milk ... It can be both.”

But the question should be whether cornflakes is healthy or not? Well, the clear answer is yes! It is healthy for you; here are some of Cornflakes' benefits:

1. Nutrition: Corn flakes are not only delicious but also an excellent source of vitamins A, B, C and D. It is low on cholesterol and has high iron content.

2. Helps with dietary routines & weight loss: Weight loss could result from consumption of the cornflakes diet over a period of time as the calorie intake is limited and portion sizes can be easily controlled.

3. Protein: As healthy cornflakes is served with milk, it makes diet protein rich which is vital for growing immune system, regulating enzymes and stabilizing hormones, repairing body tissues and maintaining the structure of the RBCs.

5. Maintains lung health: Corn has a carotenoid known as beta-cryptoxanthin that helps promote the health of lungs and also prevents lung cancer.

]]>9/10/2018 2:42:16 PM

The hotel offers astounding venues to make your big day one-of-a-kind, so whether you are looking for an intimate indoor wedding or a lavish night by the pool; we will turn your dream into a reality. Light Up the sparks of romance under the starlit sky with the picturesque view at our pool deck overlooking the Nile, a venue that accommodates up 170 invitees. We will take care of all your details from the decorations, flower arrangements, to lighting; everything that will light up the night with a magical spark. For warm and intimate weddings, our romantic indoor venue accommodates up to 70 invitees with a magnificent panoramic view of the Nile; the perfect way to tie the knot surrounded by your loved ones.

At Hilton Zamalek, we understand that planning is the first and most important step to turn your wedding into a splendor. With a keen eye for detail, our dedicated team of professionals will take care of every aspect and tailor our services to exceed your expectations. Our Executive Chef will be delighted to help you in creating your own menu, or just select one of our preset special sumptuous menus that are sure to delight starting at EGP 359 per person including service charge and taxes. With us you can expect nothing less than world-class service that will impress you and your guests. Whatever your dream is, at Hilton Zamalek we guarantee to add that unrivalled sparkle to your wedding day.

So get your vows ready, celebrate new memories to hold onto, and leave the rest to us!
For reservation please call us on 01001604031]]>9/9/2018 4:08:06 PMThe education session included topics covering from pregnancy till a child turns 2, led by pediatrician, Dr. Yasmine Gamal, lecturer at Ain Shams University. The session took place on Friday 31st August and focused on the importance of the 1,000 days that start with pregnancy from breast feeding to the early toddler ages determining the health and wellbeing of the child.

Under the slogan “We’re all beside you” the session kicked off with a welcoming interaction from the attending mothers inquiring about family health issues to improve their lifestyle with their children. Dr. Yasmin Gamal stressed how breastfeeding is crucial for the life of the child as it protects them from immune diseases and facilitates their growth in a healthy manner. Dr. Gamal added that breast milk is one of the richest sources of nutrients that contribute to strengthening the child's immunity and growth, both physically and mentally, and breast-feeding contributes to strengthening the link between mother and child and preparing the baby for the outside world. She pointed to the need to care for women, whether pregnant or lactating, and their physical health through eating nutritional meals because the health of the child is significantly affected by mothers.

Business Executive Manager of Infant Nutrition, Nestlé North East Africa, and Waleed Al Bahaey stated the importance of nutritional education in Egypt stating, “Nestlé’s nutritional vision is to assist the next generation to live healthier lives by offering clinically advanced, scientifically proven nutrition in the 1st 1,000 days.

This comes to life through ongoing successful initiatives that focus on the health of our children who are the backbone of the future, that comes in line with the vision of Egypt 2030, and we are working on more cooperation with the Ministry of Health and all concerned bodies to be able to support the development of the health and nutrition sector in Egypt.”

Nestlé developed a dedicated program that educates 500 nurses at a number of Egyptian hospitals who can assist mothers in providing better nutrition through breastfeeding systems that benefit the mother and the baby. In addition, Start Healthy, Stay healthy website http://starthealthy.nestle.com.eg, is providing the mother with the knowledge, information and advice necessary to help her feed her child in the right healthy way.]]>9/9/2018 3:49:13 PMThe American fashion house hosted the fashion show and dinner attended by a veritable who’s who of names from the worlds of entertainment, media and fashion.

A giant screen showed clips from the classic Disney films which inspired the dazzling looks in a presentation of fashion-as-theater that held its own against the most lavish Disney spectacle.

“We always loved the vixen, the femme fatale, and all the villains have these qualities,” David Blond told Reuters of the inspiration for the collection he envisioned along with partner Phillipe Blond.

“They’re the coolest characters, they’re always the standout,” he added. “They have the best personality — it’s always something that’s interesting and unusual.”

Interesting and unusual the show inarguably was, featuring the sort of over-the-top, avant-garde looks more associated with runway shows in Paris than New York.

Fabrics included leather, rubber and latex rendered almost exclusively in black or red. What wasn’t any of those was mostly metallic, with endless sequins, beading, crystals and mesh.

Boxy, spike-bedecked flight jackets topped sequined leggings, while a zaftig model channeling Ursula was decked out in black and purple feathers, calling to mind the late drag queen Divine.

Despite the seemingly less-than-wearable nature of most of the looks, The Blonds’ creations managed to stay on trend, with wide shouldered, waist-length jackets recalling the 1980s-era power suits that experts see making a comeback.

“It works with our brand DNA so well,” said David Blond. “It was so seamless.” The designers have created looks for a host of performers known for their offbeat style, including Lady Gaga, Katy Perry and Lil’ Kim.]]>9/8/2018 11:18:28 AMThe forty-seven year old billionaire spent two and a half hours on a podcast late Thursday discussing everything from artificial intelligence and its impact on humankind to flame throwers and social media.

Taking a puff from a joint - which Rogan said was a blend of tobacco and marijuana and legal in California - Musk said he "almost never" smoked.

"I'm not a regular smoker of weed," Musk said. "I don't actually notice any effect...I don't find that it is very good for productivity."

Tesla was not immediately available for comment.

Musk stunned investors a month back with tweets saying he had funding to take the company private for $420 per share. He then backed off from his plan saying Tesla was better off as a public company.

He followed it up with fresh attacks on British cave diver Vernon Unsworth. Buzzfeed News reported earlier in the week that Musk, in an email to the news site, called Unsworth a "child rapist."

Musk apologized to Unsworth in July for similar insults he made on Twitter following the rescue of a dozen Thai schoolboys and their football coach from a cave in Thailand.

The billionaire's behavior has raised concerns about his leadership and several Wall Street analysts have called for the company to appoint a strong No. 2 to prop up Tesla's operations and standing with investors.

His followers on Twitter went into a frenzy following the podcast. Several followers questioned if it was against the company's policy, while others mocked the CEO's initial $420 bid, a number that has become code for marijuana.

"Elon getting high on weed and whiskey is the first reason to go long on $TSLA in a while. He needs to relax a bit," a tweet https://bit.ly/2M5PdAo by user @jkmcnk said.

Another user tweeted https://bit.ly/2MT7aY4: "This guy is completely off the rails."

Shares of Tesla fell 1.3 percent in trading before the bell. They have fallen about 18 percent since Musk's tweet on taking the company private on Aug. 7. ]]>9/7/2018 1:29:28 PMSituated in the prime location of Ras El Hekma, GAIA is an upscale resort enveloped by the vibrant community of the North Coast located on km 190 Alexandria/Matrouh road. It covers a vast area of 2164 km boasting a 500-meter beach front views, 20000 meters of swimmable water lagoons, and an assortment of unit sizes; ranging from 120 m2 to 284 m2. GAIA offers a variety of home styles that includes stand-alone villas, attached twin houses, duplexes, chalets, and cabanas; providing ultimate luxury within a beach resort.

Master planned by esteemed designers Chapman Taylor and RAY Design, the concept of the resort relies heavily on the power of integrating the essence of nature in its components. The harmonious blend of contemporary architecture and an Arabian atmosphere aim towards creating a healing environment; one that motivates, inspires, and nurtures both the body and soul through its lineup of facilities; including recreational areas, walking and cycling tracks, a kids’ area, a spa, and gym.

]]>9/6/2018 5:37:52 PMBullying is a type of violence intentionally and repeatedly exercised by a child on another child in person or online, ranging from physical harm to verbal and psychological abuse which can lead to exclusion, depression and sometimes suicide. It is a terrible phenomenon against which several actors have decided to join hands.

“No child should experience the anxiety and hurt that bullying puts them through, which – just as all types of violence against children – is likely to impair healthy brain development, cause low self-esteem and in severe cases can lead to suicidal feelings,” stated Dr. Azza Al Ashmawy, Secretary General of NCCM. “This campaign urges children, parents and caregivers to speak up against bullying in educational and non-educational settings and seek guidance from trained professionals through the national Child Helpline 16000 that provides 24/7 support and is also an active channel to report severe cases in which the safety of a child is at risk.”

According to the latest global data, slightly more than 1 in 3 students aged 13-15 around the world experience bullying. While girls and boys are equally at risk of being bullied, girls are more likely to become victims of psychological forms of bullying and boys are more at risk of physical violence and threats.

A study conducted by NCCM and UNICEF in 2015 on three governorates showed that the highest level of violence facing children occurs at home, followed by school; with 29 to 47% of children (aged 13-17) reported that physical violence among peers was commonplace.

“The Ministry is fully supporting this important national campaign that we hope will raise awareness among our students, teachers and their communities to identify and address bullying,” said Dr. Tarek Shawky, Minister of Education and Technical Education, “As Egypt steadily moves towards a full transformation of its education system through Education 2.0, creating a safe and enjoyable learning environment for children is among our priorities.”

Private sector partners have showed their support to the campaign cause by committing to help spread its messages through their platforms. A number of national celebrities as well as UNICEF Egypt Ambassadors Actor Ahmed Helmy and Actress Mona Zaki, are echoing the campaign messages on social media and sharing their stance against bullying. The campaign encourages children and young people around the country to voice their experiences, views and solutions to end bullying using the campaign hashtag #IAmAgainstBullying.

“With the launch of this campaign, we are witnessing the continuation of national efforts to end all forms of violence against children in Egypt. We support these efforts through the different programmes the EU funds in the country, specifically through the project ‘Expanding Access to Education and Protection for At Risk Children’,” said Ambassador Ivan Surkoš, Head of the European Union Delegation to Egypt. “It is essential for the wellbeing and development of children to invest resources and efforts to secure a safe learning environment for all girls and boys, an environment that is free from peer to peer bullying at school and elsewhere,” he added.

The campaign launched last week, will last until the first week of October and will consist of three Public Service Announcements that will be disseminated on broadcast and social media, as well as outdoor awareness billboards that will be seen across Egypt. The digital platforms of the campaign partners will also disseminate advice and tips to children, parents, teachers and caregivers on ways to face bullying.

“Bullying disrupts the right of children to play and to learn. All children will benefit from a culture that refuses and speaks up against bullying, and keeps them safe from harm,” stated Mr. Bruno Maes, UNICEF Representative in Egypt. “We are optimistic that national efforts to prevent and respond to violence in and outside schools will continue to be enhanced by our partners.”
]]>9/6/2018 5:07:13 PMThe probe was launched on September 9, 1975 and was considered a part of NASA’s Viking Project. Its mission consisted of an orbiter and a lander, typical to Viking 1’s, Viking 2’s precedent.

Viking 2’s lander carried a biological laboratory designed to look for possible signs of life on Mars. The lander had worked for 1361 days until it stopped working on April 1, 1980 due to battery breakdown.

As for the orbiter, it had taken 16,000 photos around Mars’s orbit before it stopped working on July 25, 1978.

The last data from Viking 2 arrived to Earth on April 11, 1980, according to NASA’s official website.
]]>9/5/2018 10:13:58 AM

Instead of focusing on adorning our apparel with logos and designs, we focus on the product itself, on the material. Additionally, Cottonball is a means for the Egyptian cotton industry to thrive both locally and internationally. We support local manufacturers and provide job opportunities to a lot of Egyptian families working for Cottonball with the aim of expanding internationally to bring back the glory of the Egyptian cotton industry.

In a nutshell, Cottonball is not just an apparel brand, it's a lifestyle concept promoting quality and comfort in everyday apparel.

]]>9/4/2018 2:13:24 PMJupiter has been shifting westwards of the Sun, ASJ added in the statement, saying “Jupiter will be observed highest up at night in the Arab sky, and will appear low in the southwest of the sky at northerly altitudes; in the south of the hemisphere, Jupiter will be quite high in the western sky.”

Jupiter is the largest planet in the solar system, and is the second brighter planet after Venus.

Egypt witnessed Venus at the night of August 22, the head of National Institute for Astronomical Research, Ashraf Tadrous, told Egypt Today.
]]>9/3/2018 11:05:17 AMRay Woolley, who turned 95 on Aug. 28, already holds the record as the oldest active male scuba diver. On Saturday he dived for 44 minutes at a depth of 40.6 meters, beating his previous record of 41 minutes and 38.1 meters - when he was 94.

“We did it...I feel great. It’s lovely to break my record again and I hope if I can keep fit I will break it again next year with all of you,” Woolley said moments after emerging from the water.

Woolley and dozens of other divers scoured the watery depths around the shipwreck of the Zenobia, a cargo vessel laden with trucks that sank about 2 km off the southern Cypriot town of Larnaca in 1980 on its maiden voyage.

Woolley, originally from Port Sunlight in northwest England who now lives in Cyprus, said he had first visited the wreck in 1982. A radio operator in the Second World War, he has been diving for 58 years.

“I am trying to prove to myself, and I hope to other people, that exercise, especially when you are getting to around my age, is most important to do,” he told reporters after returning to land.

Zenobia, which now lies on its side with its 90-odd trucks still chained to the vessel, is extremely popular with divers and about 60,000 visit the site each year.]]>9/2/2018 11:02:32 AMGaga plays a girl-next-door character who achieves her dream of becoming a famous singer in "A Star Is Born", directed by co-star Bradley Cooper.

"He wanted to see me with nothing," Gaga told a news conference ahead of the film's world premiere at the Venice Film Festival.

"I walked down the stairs of my house before we filmed the screentest for 'A Star Is Born' and he had a make-up wipe in his hand and he put his hand on my face and he went like this," she said, miming Cooper rubbing her face.

"There was make-up, just a little bit, and he said: 'I want no make-up on your face'. And so this vulnerability was something he brought out of me."

In the movie, Gaga's character Ally is told her nose is too big and will prevent her becoming a success, something the 32-year-old singer said she empathised with.

"When I was first starting out, you know, I was not the most beautiful girl in the room," she said, adding that her faith in her own songwriting talent allowed her to forge ahead.

"There were lots of women that were singers but did not write their own music. Many record execs wanted to take my songs and give them to other women to sing, and I was, like, holding onto my music with my whole ten fingers saying: ‘You’re not going to take my songs from me’."

"A Star Is Born" premieres in a non-competition slot at the Venice Film Festival which runs from Aug. 29 to Sept 8. ]]>9/1/2018 8:40:00 AMA fire cracker signal marked the start of the massive food fight at 11 a.m. (0900 GMT) and during the next hour, six trucks loaded with over-ripe tomatoes drove through the small town’s main street providing ammunition for festival-goers.

Some wore sunglasses or goggles as protection for their eyes as they covered each other in red pulp.

The Tomatina is said to have originated from a spontaneous bust-up amongst villagers in 1945. It was banned for a while during the 1950s at the height of General Francisco Franco’s dictatorship, but today draws large crowds of locals as well as foreign tourists.
]]>8/31/2018 1:17:01 PMThe HUAWEI nova Series doesn’t just embody cutting-edge craftsmanship, but also expresses the wildness and the attitude that a youth should have. Made for youth, the HUAWEI nova Series devices meet and exceed the expectations of young users. And as the new heavyweight addition to the series, HUAWEI nova 3 does not disappoint. It features a new and improved FullView display with barely-there bezels that blend into the screen when the display is off. The shape of the device has also been heavily iterated upon to realize the most comfortable grip, and the materials were meticulously chosen for their quality. None of these design choices were made easily, but in its pursuit to become a device that truly services the needs of youth, the challenges mentioned above are only the tip of an iceberg.

Recently, Huawei announced that it has signed Jackson Yee as its global brand ambassador for the nova brand. This makes Yee not just the first Chinese brand ambassador for the nova brand, but also the first “post-00” ambassador representing the youth-centric brand. The news was very well received in the market. This move enables Huawei to clearly highly the brand positioning of its nova series, and really rein the target audience in for the brand.

The youth desire a fashionable device for themselves. But what is fashion? It’s intangible and irrational, but when something gets it right, it just clicks. The kind of fashion young people chase after changes frequently, but the fashion-forward looks of the HUAWEI nova Series allow it to remain highly desirable.

The new notched 6.3-inch FullView display is stunning to look at, and when it is off, the notch melds seamlessly with the screen, creating a perfect bezel-less look. The screen is secured to a chassis whose length measures at the same 5.5-inch. The double-curved 3D glass is also upgraded, allowing vibrant colors to shine through to the fullest extent.

Of course, the appearance upgrades on the HUAWEI nova 3 series goes beyond the design. The HUAWEI nova 3 is available in Red, Primrose Gold, Airy Blue and Iris Purple, and HUAWEI nova 3i comes with the classic Black & White and Iris Purple. Iris Purple is Huawei’s latest gradient color. When a device is laid flat, the gradient shifts ever so slightly to the dark side; but if you view it from a lower angle, the color lightens back up magically. The gradient color behaves just like the youth—it is ever changing, mysterious and wild.

Looking back at the history of smartphones, manufacturers have always been keen to bolster their product portfolio with differently colored devices. And that has worked in the favor of consumers, giving them additional choice. The HUAWEI nova Series, a line-up renowned for its design, is at the forefront of this color trend. The Iris Purple gradient color available on both the nova 3 and nova 3i evoke feelings of mystery, excitement and adventure. Such a unique experience is only available through the trendy HUAWEI nova 3 series.

When discussing the HUAWEI nova 3 series, it’s hard to not also mention its AI quad camera setup. In fact, having dual front and rear cameras together is a rare sight to behold as it ups the cost of manufacturing significantly. However, for its nova Series, Huawei refuses to settle for less. The HUAWEI nova 3 series continues to offer a quad-camera photography experience. What’s new is that the nova 3 series enhances the cameras with AI, allowing users to effortlessly capture beauty.

In today’s social media-driven world, great photos are sought after by people all around the world, but not everyone has the time to retouch photos before posting. The 24MP and 2MP front cameras allow users to capture themselves in their most natural, most beautiful forms. Users can also opt to beautify themselves after the fact using Huawei’s sophisticated retouching tools to “manufacture” beauty. The tool supports a range of tweaks including whitening, sharpening, brightening and more.

With youth comes the energy to be wild and free. Don’t set limits for yourself, don’t let others restrict your actions. Channel your youthful energy to explore the world and enjoy the ride—and if you need a partner, know that HUAWEI nova 3 series will gladly ride shotgun.
]]>8/31/2018 1:00:00 PMImagine having a smartphone that has the ability to recognize age, gender, skin tone to adjust for the optimal selfie even when the photo is taken in low-light or backlit environment. The smartphone automatically adjusts the sharpness and colour for a high-definition image, without you having to do anything but click.

Sounds like a dream but Huawei has made this dream come true with the launch of its new HUAWEI nova 3 series, which has unparalleled AI capabilities and exceptional front camera features. Both the smartphones have state-of-the-art dual front and rear camera with 24 MP and 2 MP, which are further powered by artificial intelligence (AI)). HUWAEI nova 3 series will help you capture the next generation AI selfie instantly with its AI engineered beautification solutions that will enhance your skin tone to match your visual age. Moreover, HUAWEI’s nova 3 series has background scene recognition with nearly 200 different scenarios that can intelligently adjust the sharpness and colour for a high definition image allowing you to seize the moment and create lasting memories.

The HUAWEI nova 3 series with exceptional front camera and AI photography capability is set to wow the users as it not only captures their own face clearly, but also the story of the selfie moment and environment.

The artificially intelligent phone is equipped with a 24MP camera both in the front and at the rear to capture the best-looking selfies. The AI enhancements will create perfect selfies at the first click by capturing both the face and the surroundings. The new f/2.0 wide aperture lens on the 24MP high-resolution front camera is joined by a 2MP broad spectrum color sensor that captures depth-of-field information for authentic bokeh effects.

Huawei nova 3 series is equipped with AI scene recognitionHUAWEI nova 3 is enabled with over 200 different scenarios across eight unique categories that include blue skies, beaches, plants, night, stage performances, flowers, rooms and snow. Hence, the AI powered phones will recognise the background and capture every detail to create an enhanced shot that offers best colour optimization features.

Huawei nova 3 series offers AI enabled beauty algorithmHUAWEI nova 3’s camera has a set focal length of 35mm for selfies providing the best-in-technology to capture a stunning portrait. The AI enabled beauty algorithm offers seven skin tones and textures for users to choose from and customize their selfies to create their own definition of beauty.
]]>8/30/2018 3:53:08 PMEquipped with long sticks, a team of cleaners on Tuesday gouged out written prayers that visitors to Judaism’s Western Wall in Jerusalem traditionally cram into its crevices.

Twice a year, the Rabbi of the Western Wall oversees the collection of thousands of notes to ensure there’s always space for more. The papers are then buried on Jerusalem’s Mount of Olives in accordance with ritual.

The Western Wall is a remnant of the compound of the Second Temple that was destroyed in 70 AD. It stands today beneath a religious plaza known to Muslims as the Noble Sanctuary and to Jews as the Temple Mount.]]>8/29/2018 11:26:18 AMEach of us is passionate with our own unique talent, energy and beauty, and Artificial intelligence selfie is a meaningful way for us to proactively share that with the world.

With an extraordinary new perspective, HUAWEI nova 3 series is set to change the way selfies are taken. The innovative Artificial Intelligence (AI)-powered device shows-off dual front-facing cameras with a 24MP primary sensor and a 2MP sensor.

Gone are the days of smartphone makers marketing higher pixel counts and in-built filters to make your selfies stand out. What users really, truly want is a phone that will be intelligent enough to do the work for them. A camera that won't just blur a background but will showcase subject and ambience in perfect harmony to express the true meaning of a person's selfie story.

Unlike other smartphones where the front camera is low-pixelated and only focuses on the subject's face while neglecting the ambience of the background setting, Huawei's AI-powered camera is designed to capture details with the primary lens. The latter will then capture depth to produce stunning, authentic bokeh effects to showcase the best of you and your surroundings.

From blue skies to sunny beaches, lush plants, starry nights, and even the magic of stage lights during performances, the front camera is enabled to recognize more than 200 different scenarios of eight categories.

Most importantly, imagine the time and effort saved from never having to edit and filter a photo again. That's the true purpose an AI powered device after all. Huawei's intuitive devices are powered with AI beautification algorithms that take into consideration how people around the world perceive beauty and apply a different set of adjustments to skin tones and facial details by age and gender to accentuate contours and conceal imperfections.

The third-generation intelligent device also supports real-time High Definition Range (HDR) footage preview and recording, in addition to studio-quality lighting options. Meanwhile, it accurately maps the five facial features of a subject and develop a 3D model in order to identify areas that require additional lighting or beautification. This would also work well with 3D Qmoji, a fun feature that digitally transposes the face of a user onto a digital avatar.

Huawei has always been committed to unlocking people’s potential through technology and more so with the launch of HUAWEI nova 3 and HUWAEI nova 3i, which help consumers capture timeless memories through the most stunning digital record of both face and surroundings with its dual front and rear camera, its AI Beautification algorithms, it’s high-light sensitivity for HDR pictures, while adding quirky emojis to make it a fun experience. Whether you're an amateur or an expert, the HUAWEI nova 3 series presents itself as an AI-powered camera that helps you customize your selfies to create your own definition of beauty.

For those who see mobile phones as essential tools for self-expression, the sun has set on smartphone selfies. Phones without AI will soon become a thing of the past. Prepare to bid goodbye to the old and get set to upgrade your expression with the dawn of the HUAWEI’s nova 3 series, which are making the AI super selfie the new trend.]]>8/27/2018 12:40:43 PMSt Julian’s, just north of Valletta harbor, is dotted with tower cranes as old houses make way for new high-rise apartment blocks each vying for a view over a bay dotted with restaurants and colorful boats.

The town’s population has swelled with droves of North Europeans who work in the booming e-gaming industry. Malta has become a hub for European online gaming, which includes online sports betting, web-based casinos, poker and other games.

For the last 200 years the bay has taken center stage at the end of August when the town holds a feast for its patron saint, St Julian the Hospitaller, and a greasy pole competition is held off the promenade.

In the tournament, known as Gostra to the Maltese, a 16 meter-pole is covered by 15 liters of lard and fixed at an angle from the promenade into the sea. Competitors try to grab three flags at its end – a blue and white one dedicated to St Mary, a yellow and white one for the Vatican, and the Belgian tricolor, since St Julian is believed to have been born in the Belgian town of Ath in 7AD.

To the amazement of tourists, Belgian flags also dominate the whole town for the four-day festival of which the Gostra is the main attraction.

Only those who help in the organization of the festival can take part in the greasy pole challenge. Organizers say participation has declined while costs, especially for insurance, have soared.

“This is like a football team, you have to be part of the team to take part,” Neville Zahra one of the long-term organizers said. “For me, it is part of my life.”

Participants run up the pole from as far as possible before the lard and gravity take their toll. As they lose momentum and traction they either dive into the sea or bravely stretch as far as they can go for the flags. The watching crowd delights at the awkward angles at which they invariably fall into the Mediterranean. A few suffer minor injuries.

Zahra, 37, has taken part in the Gostra ever since he was a child, and has gone home with several trophies and a few bruises.

“The trick is to concentrate and not to be scared of it,” he said. “You can get hurt, as in any sport, but you must not let that get to you.”]]>8/27/2018 11:24:15 AMThe first phenomenon witnessed by Egypt will take place in the north eastern horizon at the beginning of the night, where one of the most famous constellations, Cassiopeia’s chair, will appear in its easily recognizable shape; W or M.

The second phenomenon will occur on Sunday when the moon will be full, marking the end of Hajj. Mohamed Gharib, professor at the National Institute of Astronomical Research, confirmed that astronomical calculations conducted by the Institute show that this will be on Aug. 26 with the full moon in Egyptian skies.

Gharib also said that the Badr Hijri month is scheduled to end on Sunday at 1:56 p.m.

The third phenomenon will also be on Sunday when Mercury will be at its maximum elongation around the sun, said Ashraf Tadros, head of astronomy at the institute.

In astronomy, a planet’s elongation is the angle between the specific planet and the sun when it is measured from Earth, explained Tadros.

The fourth phenomenon is the appearance of Mars as a red dot in the sky as seen by the naked eye on Aug. 28, and it is expected to stay bright all night until early September.

It will be seen in the east at night, then reach its highest point in the sky around midnight and will then be seen in the west at dawn. Interestingly, this phenomenon will only happen again in 2035.

Another phenomenon will witness Neptune moving two degrees south from the center of the moon on Aug. 27. And another will witness Uranus moving five degrees north from the center of the moon on Aug. 31.

To see the phenomena, stay away from bright places and move towards darker, open spaces with clear skies and with no fog or mist.
]]>8/26/2018 10:49:11 AMThe colorful event, in Kajiado County, in the country’s Great Rift Valley, happens just once every five to ten years for boys aged between nine and 15. In the Maasai tradition, a boy’s “age set” is a critical.

After spending the previous night in dry, scrub brush forest, the boys were given a heroes welcome with multiple rounds of singing and chanting to boost their morale as they danced thrusting sticks in the air.

All the boys painted their heads with ochre, a deep red pigment made from clay. Those initiates chosen to be future leaders of the age group were marked by elaborate white paint patterns on their faces and bodies.

Their torsos were draped with colorful beads matching their bracelets. The young men also wore traditional red blankets and black sandals made out of tires.

“The ceremony is called ‘Il Mirisho’ which means people who have won...(within) five years they all will be circumcised and recognized as a moran,” said community elder Ole Sakaya Matini.

Traditionally, moran are the Maasai’s warrior class made up of brave and strong young men who defend the community.

The ceremony was organized by elders from the Matapato area where the boys are from.

To mark the occasion, a large bull was sacrificed and its meat was roasted and feed thousands of attendants. Its organs were later used to offer ritual blessings.

Elders put rings made out of the bull’s leather on the fingers of the boys, who were also smeared with oil. In the last part of the ceremony, elders sprayed the milk-beer combination onto the boys as another blessing.

“This is the first ceremony to give their age group a name, now they are recognized and have an identity as an age group,” said Matini, the elder.

The name chosen for this group, he said, is “Ilmemiri” — meaning “people who have won”, or “people who cannot be defeated”.]]>8/25/2018 11:53:44 AMUsing equipment similar to the kind already available at most eye doctors' offices, researchers detected signs of Alzheimer's in a small sample of 30 people, according to a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) Opthalmology.

Those enrolled in the study -- all in their mid-70s with no outward symptoms of Alzheimer's -- underwent PET scans or sampling of spinal fluid.

About half came back with elevated levels of the Alzheimer's proteins amyloid or tau, suggesting they would eventually develop dementia.

In this group, researchers also found thinning in the retina, something that experts had previously seen in autopsies of people who died from Alzheimer's disease.

"In the patients with elevated levels of amyloid or tau, we detected significant thinning in the center of the retina," said co-principal investigator Rajendra Apte, professor of ophthalmology and visual sciences at Washington University in St. Louis.

"All of us have a small area devoid of blood vessels in the center of our retinas that is responsible for our most precise vision. We found that this zone lacking blood vessels was significantly enlarged in people with preclinical Alzheimer's disease."

The study did not, however, reveal if the participants with thinning retinas went on to develop Alzheimer's or not.

For that reason, Doug Brown, chief policy and research Officer, Alzheimer's Society, called the area of research "fascinating" but sounded a note of caution.

"Without confirming that any of the people with preclinical Alzheimer's actually went on to develop the disease, we would need to see this carried out on a much larger group over a longer period of time to draw any firm conclusions," said Brown, who was not involved in the study.

Sara Imarisio, head of research at Alzheimer's Research UK, agreed.

"While the eye tests used in this research are relatively quick, inexpensive and non-invasive, as only 30 people took part in the study, we still need to see more research before we can tell how useful this method could be for highlighting early signs of Alzheimer's"

- Dementia on rise -

Experts say brain damage from Alzheimer's disease can begin up to two decades before signs of memory loss appear.

Close to 50 million people are living with dementia around the globe, and the toll is expected to mount in the coming decades as the population ages.

Alzheimer's is the most common form of dementia, and there is no cure. But earlier detection may make it possible for drug or lifestyle interventions that may stave off the disease.

Currently, doctors use PET scans and lumbar punctures to help diagnose Alzheimer's -- both expensive and invasive techniques.

The type of technology used in the JAMA study is called optical coherence tomography angiography (OCT-A).

It is commonly used to shine light into the eye so that a doctor can measure the thickness of the retina and optic nerve.

Researchers say the retina and central nervous system are interconnected, so changes in the brain can be reflected in the cells of the retina.

"This technique has great potential to become a screening tool that helps decide who should undergo more expensive and invasive testing for Alzheimer's disease prior to the appearance of clinical symptoms," said the study's first author Bliss E. O'Bryhim, a resident physician in the Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences at Washington University.

The study authors agree that more work is needed to confirm if the technique works in larger populations, but are hopeful that it could one day help screen people in their 40s and 50s.]]>8/24/2018 3:30:00 AMThe Mamuniya camp in Mina near the holy city is dotted with colour-coded barrels -- black for organic waste and blue for cans and plastics for recycling.

It's all part of an initiative to reduce the environmental footprint of the hajj, one of the world's largest annual gatherings.

More than 42,000 tonnes of waste are produced during the pilgrimage to Islam's holiest sites, according of Mohammed al-Saati, head of sanitation for the Mecca municipality.

"We're facing some real challenges, primarily the sheer volume of waste produced ... along with the number of pilgrims, the limited space around the holy sites, different nationalities and the weather," Saati told AFP.

"Islam as a religion does not encourage excess," he added.

Sanitation workers collect litter during the annual Hajj pilgrimage in the holy city of Mecca on August 22, 2018. In the streets of Mecca province, thousands of cleaners are hard at work separating plastic waste from composte as more than two million Muslims wrap up their annual hajj pilgrimage. More than 13,000 sanitation workers and supervisors were hired during the 2018 pilgrimage season, which saw temperatures rise to 44 degrees Celsius (111 Fahrenheit) this week. / AFP / AHMAD AL-RUBAYE

"Pilgrims can be friends of the environment. It starts by raising awareness back home."

The hajj, which started on Sunday and ends on Friday, drew nearly 2.4 million Muslims from around the world this year, according to official Saudi figures.

More than 13,000 sanitation workers and supervisors were hired during the pilgrimage season, which saw temperatures rise to 44 degrees Celsius (111 Fahrenheit) this week.

- 'Green hajj' -

A handful of camps in the town of Mina, the site of the symbolic stoning of the devil ritual during hajj, have begun to implement plans to turn "green", cutting back on waste and encouraging pilgrims to do their part.

Banners hanging near the Kaaba, a black structure inside Mecca's Grand Mosque towards which Muslims around the world pray, also featured the recycle logo this year.

Authorities aim to cut waste volumes by two-thirds by 2030, Saati said, with a plan that speaks to both environmental ethics and religious belief.

Sorted waste collected from the pilgrimage sites will be sold to companies that handle recycling.

All proceeds will be given to charity in standing with the Muslim belief in "sadaqah," or voluntary donations.

Workers in bright green vests made their way across the streets and alleys, picking up soda cans and plastic water bottles as pilgrims packed their things to return home.

Signs encouraging pilgrims to sort their waste could be seen across the Mamuniya camp -- along with signs reading "Sadaqah, not litter."

"The idea of an environmentally friendly camp is really important to us, to preserve the sanctity of the site," said Hatem Mumena, the camp's general manager.

But he admits there is still far to go, as the numbers of pilgrims attending hajj is expected to rise. Saudi Arabia hopes to welcome some 30 million pilgrims per year by 2030.

"This is just the beginning," Mumena said.
]]>8/23/2018 1:12:18 PMMuslims all over the world are celebrating Eid El-Adha and those lucky enough to be at Hajj will walk from Mina to Mount Arafat on Monday, the place where Prophet Mohammed (PBUH) gave his last sermon before his death.

Buses and vehicles will be available to transport the pilgrims from Mecca to Mina, while some prefer to walk despite the heat. They will then proceed to climb Mount Arafat to pray and read Quran.

In his last sermon, prophet Mohammed (PBUH) spoke about the importance of treating women well, the five prayers, the holy month of Ramadan and equality.

This day is also known as the day of repentance; hence, those who did not go to Hajj, or are unable to go, can spend their day fasting to repent their sins.

The Minister of Awqaf, Mohamed Mokhtar Gomaa, said that the Day of Arafat is a day of God’s mercy on the pilgrims and all believers.

He added that this is the greatest day during pilgrimage because it is the day of mercy; the day of forgiveness that God will not deprive anyone from. The minister also explained that, on this day, God opens his doors for forgiveness and mercy.

According to Asharq Al-Awsat, Saudi Interior Ministry Security Spokesman Mansour al-Turki said that they are ready to receive over 2 million pilgrims from Mecca to Mina and then off to Mount Arafat.

The Egyptian Gazette said that 50 buses are going to be used to help elderly pilgrims get to Mount Arafat. Around 12 Egyptians already died during Hajj, so pilgrims are being urged to follow instructions of Saudi security personnel.
]]>8/20/2018 11:10:59 AMSince then, the husband and wife have lived for more than a quarter of a century in a primitive hut in a forest in northeastern Belarus, close to the Russian border.

“There are no people - there is no conflict,” said Tamara Baikov, who says she loves weeding her vegetable patch and would rather plow a hectare of land than venture to a city.

Life is simple for the two 69-year-olds. There is no electricity, so they read by torchlight. They take the water they need from the river and cook with a wood-burning stove.

Their chickens and ducks provide them with meat and eggs. Their goats give them milk and cottage cheese. Manure is their only fertilizer for growing potatoes and vegetables.

Daughter Veronika is their main contact with the outside world. She brings any additional supplies they might need from a store, and also sells their produce to generate some income.

“Our Veronika sells all this in neighboring Russia. Plus a pension, we have enough to live on,” Yuri said. “We cannot leave our animals and birds even for a day - and we don’t want to.”

They live on a small farm they built in 1992. The nearest Belarussian village, Yukhovichi, is 15 km (9 miles) away, while Russia is a few hundred meters across the river.

They used to live in Yukhovichi as farmers, keeping cows and poultry. But dwelling near other people did not suit them — the injured duck was one example.

In late 1991, the local authorities gave them a piece of land in the forest and one night in May 1992, they left together with Veronika, five cows, some groceries, tools and nails.

They spent the first few nights under a linden tree, covering themselves in plastic sheets for warmth.

Veronika grew up and eventually moved beyond the river to a village in Russia called Davostsy. She now has a 16-year-old daughter of her own called Angelina.

Tamara and Yuri stayed in the cramped hut that was initially intended as a temporary shelter. They had planned to build a proper house, but a lack of money and bureaucratic hassles prevented them from doing so.

They like to listen to Russian radio stations to keep up with world news. But mostly they enjoy the solitude.

“Silence is very good - only grandma is not silent, she talks a lot,” Yuri joked, referring to his wife.]]>8/19/2018 1:35:10 PMBesides a vision of Venus, Egypt will also witness the moon, below it Jupiter and the star, Spica, between them; Tadrous pointed out that the phenomenon will go on for about 59 minutes.

There is some information about the astronomical phenomenon:

- The phenomenon can be seen with the naked eye without the need for monitoring devices.

- Venus is the third brightest object in the dome of the sky after the sun and moon.

- Venus will appear as a bright white spot and as a half disk of light by sunlight.

- The best vision for Venus is through the telescope before the beginning of the night and before it becomes at the top of the brightness and affects the glow of light on the monitoring process.

- Sunday, Venus will begin to gradually move towards the sun.

]]>8/18/2018 12:18:29 PMParents must focus on teaching basic skills at the beginning of their lives such as courage, decision-making, self-confidence, positive self-image and self-acceptance.

In August 2017, Mustafa Abu Saad, a professor in Educational Psychology and a Global Trainer in NLP specialized in education, said in Arabiya Magazine that raising and preparing children to be successful, happy and beneficial to their community is a great challenge for every family in the presence of external influences that parents cannot control. These external influences affect the personality and background of the child.

Abu Saad added that parents must prepare a generation of leaders who trust in themselves and challenge the obstacles that stand in the way of their nation to teach them consistency and commitment, noting that the following are the most important qualities required in preparing a leading child:

1. Scientific excellence, intelligence, and promptitude.
2. Commitment to responsibilities of any kind.
3. Self-confidence.
4. Ambition and activeness.
5. Decisiveness.
6. Articulateness.
7. Wisdom.
8. Humility.
9. Tender and continued commitment.
10. Positive influence.
11. The ability to identify and reach objectives.
12. The ability to persuade and manage a group of students.
13. To be characterized by order and timeliness.
14. Honesty.
15. Thoughtfulness.
16. Open-mindedness.
17. To care about their general appearance.

How do we focus on the child in his/her early years to enable him/her to become a leader?

About 90 percent of a child’s personality is formed in the first seven years; where the child begins to form a self-image, according to Abu Saad. Abu Saad added that between 7 and 18 years of age, 10 percent of the child's personality is formed. The personalities of children must be restructured through persuasion, soft understanding, decision-making, power and time value.

TalentSmart has tested more than a million people and found that being emotional is responsible for 58 percent of a leader’s job performance. Some 90 percent of top-performing leaders have are to a degree emotional, Forbes reported in August 2015.

According to The Independent, children need love and a sense of safety to help them overcome hard exams; they will associate love and security with achievements and will enjoy their success more.

Furthermore, resilience with children is essential for learning. Martin Seligman, a professor of American psychology, said that resilience helps children to think more realistically and become more creative.

Parents should give their children the chance to choose an appropriate specialization in accordance with their personalities; they should allow them to study what they like and should refrain from choosing for them.

Research shows that parents have to develop the hobbies of the child such as drawing, dealing with others, competing with others, to develop in the child the love of leadership.

Problem-solving skills in children need to be developed without hesitation and reliance on others. According to Forbes, “Children who always have someone swooping in to rescue them spend their whole lives waiting for this to happen.” Leaders take action and they are responsible and accountable.

Important advice for parents

According to an article in Forbes magazine, children need to be praised for building a healthy sense of self-esteem to become successful leaders. Show your children how proud they are, it helps them understand the true meaning of leadership and will do so in turn when they do become leaders.

The article also added that parents must teach their children that every one makes mistakes; leaders need to be able to observe mistakes, learn from it, and move on to become better people.

Parents should not use cruelty with children. Children not treated with tenderness become unable to empathize, which in turn makes them unsuccessful because of their inability to connect to others, according to Amani Al-Omar, a psychologist at the Ministry of Social Affairs.

Omar added that children have to take responsibility early on, they have to practice hobbies. Parents must praise their successes to give them more confidence in themselves, noting that parents should teach children that violence does not make them successful leaders.

Parents mistakenly believe that the higher the IQ of the child, the better grades they will get, but it is not true, Omar assures. Emotional intelligence is more important than mental intelligence, the most powerful example of which are geniuses such as Einstein, Da Vinci and Edison who were expelled from school and were told that they were failures.

In August 2017, Khaled Mahmoud Abdel Latif, a writer, said that European and Asian countries such as Japan and China were able to rise because of teamwork and leadership, and the concept of strategic planning.

Finally, children must be encouraged to love challenges, since they will face many throughout their lives as they grow older.
]]>8/15/2018 3:39:41 PMThe residents of Larissa have launched a fan club dedicated to the Italian maestro - known for his scores for classic movies “Once Upon a Time in America”, “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly” and “The Mission”.

Members of the Cultural Society of Friends of Ennio Morricone Music in Greece screen his films and broadcast his concerts live on screens at archaeological sites.

In the latest sign of their appreciation, they have commissioned a mural of Morricone’s bespectacled profile on a five-storey residential block, about 1,000 km (620 miles) away from his birthplace in Rome.

“It is very visible, we wanted a clear illustration of him, so it could always remain here in our town, magnificent, like him and his large body of work,” said society president Konstantinos Papakostas.

Papakostas set up the society in 2010 after seeing the Oscar-winning composer perform live in the Italian capital, then Assago, Milan.

He spread the word in Larissa and has since persuaded 1,080 fellow townspeople to sign up as members.

“I am completely in awe of him and his music,” Papakostas said.

Morricone, who turns 90 this year, is still composing music and has a series of performances lined up as part of “The 60 Years in Music” tour.]]>8/14/2018 1:07:46 PM"Three, two, one, and liftoff!" said a NASA commentator as the Parker Solar Probe lit up the dark night sky aboard a Delta IV-Heavy rocket from Cape Canaveral, Florida at 3:31 am (0731 GMT).

The unmanned spacecraft aims to get closer than any human-made object in history to the center of our solar system.

The probe is designed to plunge into the Sun's atmosphere, known as the corona, during a seven-year mission.

It is protected by an ultra-powerful heat shield that can endure unprecedented levels of heat, and radiation 500 times that experienced on Earth.

- Strange veil -

NASA has billed the mission as the first spacecraft to "touch the Sun."

In reality, it should come within 3.83 million miles (6.16 million kilometers) of the Sun's surface, close enough to study the curious phenomenon of the solar wind and the Sun's atmosphere, known as the corona, which is 300 times hotter than its surface.

The car-sized probe is designed to give scientists a better understanding of solar wind and geomagnetic storms that risk wreaking chaos on Earth by knocking out the power grid.

These solar outbursts are poorly understood, but pack the potential to wipe out power to millions of people.

A worst-case scenario could cost up to two trillion dollars in the first year alone and take a decade to fully recover from, experts have warned.

"The Parker Solar Probe will help us do a much better job of predicting when a disturbance in the solar wind could hit Earth," said Justin Kasper, a project scientist and professor at the University of Michigan.

Knowing more about the solar wind and space storms will also help protect future deep space explorers as they journey toward the Moon or Mars.

- Heat shield -

The probe is guarded by an ultra-powerful heat shield that is just 4.5 inches (11.43 centimeters) thick, enabling the spacecraft to survive its close shave with the fiery star.

Even in a region where temperatures can reach more than a million degrees Fahrenheit, the sunlight is expected to heat the shield to just around 2,500 degrees Fahrenheit (1,371 degrees Celsius).

If all works as planned, the inside of the spacecraft should stay at just 85 degrees Fahrenheit.

The goal for the Parker Solar Probe is to make 24 passes through the corona during its seven-year mission.

"The sun is full of mysteries," said Nicky Fox, project scientist at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Lab.

"We are ready. We have the perfect payload. We know the questions we want to answer."

- 91-year-old namesake -

The spacecraft is the only NASA probe in history to be named after a living person -- in this case, 91-year-old solar physicist Eugene Parker, who first described the solar wind in 1958.

Parker said last week that he was "impressed" by the Parker Solar Probe, calling it "a very complex machine."

NASA chief of the science mission directorate, Thomas Zurbuchen, said Saturday that Parker is an "incredible hero of our scientific community," and called the probe one of NASA most "strategically important" missions.

Scientists have wanted to build a spacecraft like this for more than 60 years, but only in recent years did the heat shield technology advance enough to be capable of protecting sensitive instruments.

Tools on board will measure high-energy particles associated with flares and coronal mass ejections, as well as the changing magnetic field around the Sun.

A white light imager will take images of the atmosphere right in front of the Sun.

When it nears the Sun, the probe will travel rapidly enough to go from New York to Tokyo in one minute -- some 430,000 miles per hour, making it the fastest human-made object.]]>8/12/2018 11:04:33 AMThe Association of Astronomy in Jeddah announced that this partial eclipse, celestial event in which the moon briefly lapses with the sun, will be visible from Northern and Eastern Europe, North America, and some northern and western locations in Asia, making it the most watched solar eclipse of 2018 especially in Russia; however, it will be totally invisible in the Arab region.

"Unlike the lunar eclipse, the solar eclipse needs special monitoring equipment such as special glasses or optical filters for telescopes and binoculars for eye safety," the report stated.

The eclipse will officially begin when the moon first appears to make contact with the sun's disk at 4:02 a.m. EDT 8:02 GMT. Maximum eclipse will occur at 5:46 a.m. EDT (9:46 GMT), when the eclipse is at magnitude 0.7361.

During the solar eclipse, the moon reaches the stage of conjugation, called the "giant helix", which is 358,491 kilometers from east to west, ending its cycle around Earth and starting its new cycle.

The report declared that the moon can be called a "giant” whether it is a full or partial moon, when the distance between the center of the moon and the center of the Earth lays within a distance of 362,146 kilometers.

According to the repost, such a description lacks accuracy; yet, it has been commonly used years ago.

Accordingly, the moon will be near “perigee”, the closest point to Earth in the moon's orbit.

Solar eclipses occur when the disk of the moon appears to cross in front of the disk of the sun, while a total solar eclipse, like the one that took place on Aug. 21, 2017, occurs when the disk of the moon blocks 100 percent the solar disk. A partial eclipse occurs when the moon covers only part of the sun’s disk.

As noticed, in 2018, sky watchers in the few selected locations on Earth did have three opportunities to observe a solar eclipse. The first solar eclipse of 2018 took place on Feb. 15 and was visible only from parts of Antarctica, the Atlantic Ocean and southern South America. The second one took place on July 13 and was visible primarily over the ocean between Australia and Antarctica. The third and last one is taking place on Aug. 11 and will swing over the North Pole.

Additional reporting by Ingy Rashed ]]>8/11/2018 2:58:32 PMIn the Mediterranean resort’s restaurants and beach bars, holidaymakers and local residents have drunk their way through the first 2,000-bottle consignment of the turquoise-colored chardonnay.

Now Rene Le Bail, the entrepreneur marketing the Spanish-made wine, has put in an order for up to 35,000 more bottles.

“It reminds me of something, I’m not sure which fruit but it makes me think of, I don’t know, maybe sweets from my childhood,” said a diner who identified himself as Frederic.

“I love the color, it’s perfect for the summer. It brings happiness, joy, I really like it,” said Nora, a tourist from Singapore while drinking in a beachfront restaurant.

The wine is filtered through a pulp of red grape skins which contain a natural pigment, anthocyanin, and gives the wine its electric blue color.

Le Bail turned to a vineyard in Spain’s southern Almeria region to find a blue wine that he says boasts aromas of cherry, raspberry and passion fruit.

It is not the first blue wine to come out of Spain. In 2016, Spanish startup Gik developed a wine with a deep sapphire hue. But because of its “vin bleu” label, it ran afoul of strict French labeling rules and suffered a short shelf-life in stores.

The entrepreneur has sidestepped the regulations with some clever naming, labeling the 12 euro bottles: ‘Vindigo’.

Le Bail says he has been inundated with orders from across France, Belgium and Germany on the wine’s Facebook page and says demand for the wine stretches as far as Russia, the Caribbean and China.

“We’ve said no to all the big supermarkets. We want in France to sell the wine through small-scale wine merchants and grocers,” he said.

In a country where rosé wine was for decades seen as a poor cousin to red and white before becoming fashionable in recent years, not everyone shares Le Bail’s conviction that blue wine is here to last.

“It’s a bit heavy in its aromas,” said Philippe Delran, a bespectacled wine merchant in Sete who raised his eyebrows in thinly-concealed displeasure on judging the wine’s bouquet. “It needs more work.”]]>8/11/2018 11:27:49 AMCompared to men who favor snug-fitting briefs, devotees of boxer shorts had a significantly higher count and concentration of sperm, researchers reported in the journal Human Reproduction.

The sperm were also more lively, and levels of a reproductive hormone were more favorable to generating offspring.

Researchers led by Lidia Minguez-Alarcon of the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health in Boston examined 656 men of normal weight, aged 18 to 56, whose partners were seeking infertility treatment at a clinic.

Earlier research had come to the same conclusion, but with a smaller sample size. Corroborating data on the hormone, known as FSH, was also new.

Successful sperm production requires an environment three to four degrees Celsius (5.6 to 7.2 degrees Fahrenheit) below body temperature.

This explains the design of the free-hanging male scrotum, which is, in effect, a cooling system that places the sperm-making testes outside the main body cavity.

Anything that prevents this cooling is likely to impair both sperm output and quality.

- If in doubt... -

While the age-old locker-room debate among men -- boxers vs. briefs -- is more aesthetic than medical, the question has long been raised: do tight-fitting shorts overheat the family jewels?

The answer, it seems, is "a little bit, but it may not matter".

"The study provides reasonably strong supporting evidence that wearing tighter underwear might cause mild, but significant, impaired sperm production in men," noted Richard Sharpe, an honorary professor from the University of Edinburgh's MRC Centre for Reproductive Health who was not involved in the research.

Ashely Grossman, professor of endocrinology at Oxford Centre for Diabetes, Endocrinology and Metabolism, agreed, saying the results were robust enough to merit a small lifestyle change when in doubt.

"It is a simple measure to wear boxer shorts when there is uncertainty regarding fertility," he commented.

At the same time, experts noted a number of gaps in the new study that left room for uncertainty, and highlighted the need for follow up research.

While each participant provided a sperm and blood sample, sartorial habits were self-reported.

The study was also not a clinical trial -- the gold standard in health research -- but a search for statistically significant correlations, which can only point to possible causes.

Also, the study did not measure actual pregnancy outcomes, so it was unclear whether the differences in sperm count and quality uncovered actually made a bottom-line difference in the desired outcome.]]>8/9/2018 12:49:20 PMThe move by Apple is the most sweeping of a recent crackdown on Jones's programs by Facebook and other online sites that have suspended or removed some of his conspiracy-driven content.

Apple told Buzzfeed that it had removed the entire library for five of Jones's six Infowars podcasts including the shows "War Room" and the daily "The Alex Jones Show."

Only one program provided by Infowars, "RealNews with David Knight" remained on Apple's platforms on Sunday, according to media accounts.

An Apple spokesperson was not available for comment early on Monday.

In other recent actions against Jones, Facebook suspended the radio and Internet host's personal profile for 30 days in late July from Facebook's site for what the company said was bullying and hate speech.

Facebook also announced on Monday that it had removed four pages belonging to Alex Jones for "repeatedly posting content over the past several days" that breaks its community standards.

The company said it removed the pages "for glorifying violence, which violates our graphic violence policy, and using dehumanizing language to describe people who are transgender, Muslims and immigrants, which violates our hate speech policies."

Also, Spotify, a music and podcast streaming company, said on Monday that it had now removed all of Jones's Infowars programs from its platform. Last week it removed just some specific programs.

“We take reports of hate content seriously and review any podcast episode or song that is flagged by our community," a spokesperson said Monday.

"Due to repeated violations of Spotify’s prohibited content policies, The Alex Jones Show has lost access to the Spotify platform,” the spokesperson said.

Since founding Infowars in 1999, Jones has built a vast audience. Among the theories he has promoted is that the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks on New York and Washington were staged by the government.

He has also promoted a theory that the 2012 Sandy Hook school massacre was faked by left-wing forces to promote gun control. The shooting left 26 children and adults dead at a Connecticut elementary school.

Jones is being sued in Texas by two Sandy Hook parents, seeking at least $1 million, claiming that they have been the subject of harassment driven by his programs.

Neither Jones nor a representative for Infowars were available early on Monday for comment.]]>8/6/2018 2:19:50 PMRobuchon, who was hailed as one of four "chefs of the century" by the Gault Millau industry bible in 1990, founded a string of restaurants that revolutionised fine dining across three continents, ratcheting up a whopping 31 Michelin stars.

From Tokyo to Paris and Macao, foodies queue up for seats in his L'Atelier restaurants, where they can watch chefs in action, perched on high stools at a U-shaped bar.

According to Le Figaro newspaper he died of cancer in the Swiss city of Geneva.

His death was confirmed by government spokesman Benjamin Griveaux in a tweet.

"Joel Robuchon, a visionary chef who was the most starred in the world, leaves us today.

"From Paris to Shanghai, his savoir-faire was an art form that made French gastronomy shine and continues to inspire the next generation of chefs," Griveaux wrote.

As a youngster Robuchon's first vocation was the priesthood but while cooking for other seminarians he discovered a passion for food and at 15 entered the restaurant trade.

A perfectionist from the start, he quickly earned a name for himself in the rarefied world of Nouvelle Cuisine and by the age of 30 was running a 90-strong kitchen at the Concorde Lafayette hotel in Paris.

The accolades and Michelin stars came thick and fast and by the age of 50, after working himself to the bone, he decided to retire.

But a few years later he was back in action with his Atelier concept, which was inspired by Japanese sushi counters and intended to be more affordable than traditional three-star eateries.]]>8/6/2018 1:39:11 PMAbout 1,500 women, some of them wearing tiaras and superhero T-shirts, sat on the vast floor of a Manila stadium and let their babies suckle to the beat of dance music.

"Breastfeeding is love. It is difficult, but we do it for love," said Abegirl Limjap, a pregnant 38-year-old property manager in a "Super Mom" superhero costume as she nursed her two boys, one aged five and the other 11 months.

Mothers participate in a breastfeeding event in Manila on August 5, 2018. Hundreds of Philippine mothers simultaneously nursed their babies in public on Sunday, some of them two at a time, in a government-backed mass breastfeeding event aimed at combating child deaths. / AFP / NOEL CELIS

The annual event aims to draw public support for a government campaign to get more mothers to switch to breast milk from infant formula, organiser Rose Padua told AFP.

The World Health Organization and the United Nations Children's Fund recommend that children be given breast milk within the first hour of birth and be exclusively breastfed for their first six months.

Globally however, three in five babies are not breastfed early, putting them at higher risk of death and disease, the two UN agencies said in a report earlier this year.

Twenty-seven children out of every thousand died before the age of five in the Philippines in 2016, according to WHO data.

WHO and UNICEF estimate about half of Filipino babies were initiated into early breastfeeding in 2013, barely changed from 46 percent in 2003.

"It's an empowering moment," said first-time mother Joyce Balido, 29, as she cradled her four-month-old girl at the mass breastfeeding event.

"It was very difficult to establish a milk supply at first. I am sleep-starved but I committed myself to have my daughter exclusively breast-fed," added Balido, an engineer.

Sixty-one other mass breastfeeding events were held in other Philippine cities over the weekend, said Padua, the event organiser.

She said the country was on course to beat last year's attendance of 4,775 nursing mothers in 25 events.
]]>8/5/2018 1:36:47 PMThe chief of Huawei's consumer division, Richard Yu, made the remark at the release of business results for the first half of 2018, during which unlisted Huawei said it shipped more than 95 million smartphones, an increase of about 30 percent.

"It's no question that we become the number two next year. In Q4 next year it's possible we become number one," Yu said in Shenzhen, the southern Chinese city where Huawei is based.

He added that "the past six months have been incredible".

Huawei took second place from Apple in a tightening global smartphone market during the second quarter, according to figures released Tuesday by tech-industry trackers International Data Corporation (IDC).

South Korean titan Samsung remained on top in April-June, shipping 71.5 million handsets for a 20.9 percent market share, IDC said.

But Huawei sold 54.2 million phones for a 15.8 percent market share, followed by Apple's 41.3 million iPhones that gave it 12.1 percent of the market.

It was the first time since early 2010 that Apple was not in the top two.

IDC said 342 million smartphones were shipped during the second quarter, down 1.8 percent from the same period of 2017 and the third consecutive quarter of year-over-year declines.

Market saturation and rising prices are among factors blamed for cooling growth rates.

The leader in global telecommunications equipment, Huawei is essentially blocked from selling phones in the United States on security grounds owing to suspicions of the company's links to the Chinese government.

Huawei has long disputed any such links.

Frozen out of the US phone market, Huawei has made inroads worldwide largely by shipping high volumes of its cheaper handsets in Europe, Africa and Asia.

Mo Jia, a Shanghai-based smartphone market analyst with Canalys, said achieving Yu's end-2019 goal would be "very challenging" given the market doldrums and competition.

"After all, it does not have the ability to enter the world?s third-largest market -- the US. This is an obvious shortcoming," Mo said.

"For Huawei to surpass Samsung, it depends on whether it can continue to carry out its current strategy of pursuing low-end product volume."]]>8/3/2018 1:53:50 PMHere are our top tips for staying on top of summer skin.

Skip the hot shower and moisturize right after showering

A hot shower is a stable go-to after a long day of work. Not only does the steam let one relax and breathe deeply, it also feels like it is cleansing you of the daytime’s difficulties and the long day’s work. But hot showers tend to be harsh on the skin, leaving it dry and patchy. Instead, you should shower with lukewarm water, this will not only make your skin ready for exfoliation, it will also lock the moisture within the skin and stop it from drying up.

“Showering can dry out your skin, but applying moisturizer right out of the shower or bath helps to lock in water molecules,” Gregory Papadeas, D.O., a Denver-based dermatologist and past president of the Colorado Dermatologic Society, told Massage Envy.

Turning to moisturizing, you should do so as soon as you get out of the shower; the reason behind this is twofold. First, it is known that tying a habit to another one that you regularly do increases the chances of one doing it. Second, moisturizers are designed to lock the water and the moisture into the skin, applying moisturiser while your skin is already moist from a lukewarm shower will make moisturizing more effective and will leave your skin softer than ever.

Facial cleansing

Spending time in the sun and putting on sunscreen after sunscreen can leave your skin breaking out or oily, making a proper cleansing routine a cornerstone to making sure that you retain a moist skin.

D’Anne Kleinsmith, M.D., a dermatologist at Bloomfield Dermatology Associates in West Bloomfield, told Massage Envy that she would recommend lighter and less intense cleansers and soaps during the summer season. “I prefer the liquid cleansers to the bar soaps, which can be more alkaline and harsher to the skin.”

Massage Envy also recommends washing your face regularly and well, and not being too harsh on your skin by excessively using strong exfoliating products.

Skip the chemical mask and opt for an oatmeal mask

“Colloidal oatmeal is a natural ingredient used in the formulation of a range of personal care products for relief of skin dryness and itchiness,” states a research piece titled ‘Safety and efficacy of personal care products containing colloidal oatmeal’. The article argues for the benefits that oatmeal has on skin, leaving it soft and reducing pore size, while also helping in the removal of dead skin.

To make an oatmeal mask, blend one tablespoon of whole rolled oats with two tablespoons of milk and half a teaspoon of coconut oil. Apply for twenty minutes, after cleansing face, every week during the summer season. Wash off with warm water and lock in the moisture using a non-alcoholic tonic and moisturizing cream.

Use all-natural sunscreen

Recently the Environmental Working Group (EWG) warned of the chemical ingredients in sunscreens, arguing that these chemicals could interfere with the thyroid gland, as well as other hormones in the body, and contribute to the reduction of sperm count in men and endometriosis in women, due to Oxybenzone—an endocrine distributing chemical—found in sunscreens. EWG warns that children and pregnant or breastfeeding women should not be using products with Oxybenzone, as it may have long-term side effects on children.

Thus, it is much safer to make your own sunscreen at home.

To do so, mix together one teaspoon of Coconut, vanilla or lavender extract, with two tablespoons of shea butter, two tablespoons of zinc oxide, quarter a cup of coconut oil, quarter a cup of beeswax pastilles and half a cup of almond oil. Store in a jar.

Apply the sunscreen half an hour prior to sun exposure, and reapply after swimming or every two hours. The best thing about this recipe is that it both protects you from the sun and also, moisturizes.

Drink cucumber water

The all too common answer to how to keep your skin soft: Water. However, we recommend cucumber water as it has vitamins A and C, which helps soothe skin and fight any damage that may have occurred due to sun exposure, and makes one feel fresh and contributes to increasing moisture in the body.

“Silica found in water-rich vegetables such as cucumbers can help increase moisture leading to increased skin elasticity,” says skincare expert Dr. Arleen Lamba told Bustle.

Drinking eight cups of water a day will keep the body feeling energetic and will keep skin elastic and young.
]]>8/2/2018 5:20:37 PMTechnically speaking, users can view the amount of time they spent ‘scrolling’, put reminders when they exceed a certain amount of time and mute notifications, according to BBC News.

As addiction to social media increases, the new time limit tool on both apps can help users monitor their own social media activity in terms of how much time they’ve spent on the platform. Users can also choose to mute push notifications for certain amounts of time.

Both these tools can be accessed via settings; ‘Your Time on Facebook’ for Facebook and ‘Your Activity’ for Instagram.

One of the first attempts Instagram did to help limit screen time for users was the "you’re all caught up" feature. This message generally pops up at the top of the screen to notify users that they have seen all their followers’ posts and are up to date with the content.

Instagram CEO, Kevin Systrom, thought that this would help users benefit positively from their time on social media.

“We’re building tools that will help the IG community know more about the time they spend on Instagram – any time should be positive and intentional,” tweeted Systrom on May 15, 2018.

Psychologists and multiple doctors have repeatedly expressed their concern over the harmful impact social media could have over mental health. This has gotten to a point where "internet addiction" is being compared to a drug.

Various medical sites argue that this so-called internet addiction is responsible for increasing levels of depression, stress and even suicide.

Seemingly, the fear of not being up to date is more serious that one can imagine. Hence the "you’re all caught up" feature was seemingly to relax users in that they haven’t missed anything.

In a Ted X Talk by Bailey Parnell in 2017, the award winning digital marketer explained that ‘F.O.M.O’, or rather the "fear of missing out" is “an actual social anxiety from the fear that you are missing a potential connection, event or opportunity.”

Parnell shared that the Canadian Associate of Mental Health discovered that children in middle to high school who spend approximately two hours online “reported higher levels of anxiety, depression and suicidal thoughts.”

Although she expressed her own dependence on social media, that it is a tool and can be used positively, Parnell said “I don’t think absence [from social media] is an option anymore. But that doesn’t mean you can’t practice safe social.”

The debate as to whether or not spending too much time on social media is bad for us is almost never ending with respect to its increasing impact on our lives nowadays.

Director of Research and Research Scientist at Facebook, David Ginsberg and Moira Burke respectively, commented on this issue back in 2017 in an article titled "Hard Questions: Is Spending Time on Social Media Bad for Us?" They explained Facebook’s goal is not to deter someone’s mental health but rather for “meaningful interactions with your friends and family.”

As a way to understand social media better, particularly its relationship with teens, who are most exposed, they added on to explain that Facebook pledged $1 million toward researching how technology is impacting the youth.
“We want the time people spend on Facebook to encourage meaningful social interactions,” said Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg.

Egypt is considerably reliant on social media with a majority of the youth exposed to it on a day to day basis.

According to Statista, a global provider of data and statistics, Egypt has 40 percent active social network penetration as of January 2018. This is the amount of internet users that visit social networking websites. Although Egypt does not top this list with the selected countries it is compared to, possibly due to population differences, the global average is at 42 percent.

However, in another set of statistics, as per Statista, Egypt ranks second at the number of internet users in selected African countries as of December 2017 with 49.23 million people. Nigeria ranked first with 98.39 million.
]]>8/2/2018 12:21:42 PMCAIRO – 1 August 2018: Enjoy the stunning summer nights at Meza W Sahra Lounge by Sheraton Cairo’s swimming pool where the luscious Lebanese food and dazzling entertainment awaits you.

Meza W Sahra is bringing its guests the traditional Arabian spirit in the heart of Cairo where belly dance shows, oriental music and more entertainment will sure make the summer nights experience a magical memory.

]]>8/1/2018 7:55:25 PM“I feel like I’m walking on clouds,” said Vuong Thuy Linh, a tourist from Hanoi. “It’s so unique”.

Cau Vang or the “Golden Bridge” in Vietnam’s Ba Na Hills has attracted scores of tourists since it opened in June, eager to see a novel piece of architecture famed for its unusual design.

The pedestrian walkway, designed by TA Landscape Architecture in Ho Chi Minh City, sits at over 1,000 meters (3,280 feet) above sea level and extends over the treetops from the edge of a leafy cliff face, offering tourists uninterrupted views of the majestic landscape beneath.

The bridge was designed to evoke the image of the “giant hands of Gods, pulling a strip of gold out of the land,” said Vu Viet Anh, Design Principal at TA Landscape Architecture.

“It creates a walkway in the sky, among the foggy and fairy-like lands of Ba Na mountain,” said Anh, who added that he had been surprised at the level of attention his firm’s design had attracted both locally and internationally.

The Ba Na Hills, a popular getaway for the French during the colonial occupation of Vietnam, received over 2.7 million visitors last year, according to the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism.

But it is the Golden Bridge and its supports - two huge stone-colored human hands styled in such a way that it looks as if the jungle is struggling to reclaim them - which have garnered the most attention from visitors.

“It makes me feel like humans can do anything”.]]>8/1/2018 11:44:39 AM"Sekketak Khadra" encourages Egyptians to be bicycle commuters and leave their cars behind to decrease the pollution in Cairo and reduce traffic congestion- Sekketak Khadra’s official Facebook

A memorandum of understanding signed in April 2016 by Cairo’s governor, the Danish Embassy in Cairo, the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat), and Nahdet El Mahrousa association to launch the initiative, which aims to install bicycle racks to spread the cycling culture among Egyptians as a mean of transportation instead of cars.

"Sekketak Khadra" encourages Egyptians to be bicycle commuters and leave their cars behind to decrease the pollution in Cairo and reduce traffic congestion- Sekketak Khadra’s official FacebookPage

Cyclists in Egypt are suffering due to the absence of bike lanes where they can move safely without being exposed to the risk of being hit by speeding cars.They struggle to find a place to safely park their bicycles;the initiative seeks to solve the problems cyclists face.

"Sekketak Khadra" encourages Egyptians to be bicycle commuters and leave their cars behind to decrease the pollution in Cairo and reduce traffic congestion- Sekketak Khadra’s official Facebook

The initiative chose the streets of Heliopolis and Downtown with cultural and historical background to install up to 100 bicycle racks whose places were determined in accordance with the cyclists' most frequent destinations.

To encourage using bicycles in the last few years, many Egyptian cyclists launched biking initiatives to change Egyptian misconceptions on the culture of biking. These initiatives coincided with the World Health Organization’s study on the world’s air pollution levels from 2011 to 2015.

The report referred that Cairo is the second most polluted city in the world.

Previously, Cairo Governor Atef Abdel Hamid and Rania Hedeya, the director of the United Nations Human Settlements Program, signed theLE 30 million ($1.6 million)contract of "Bescletta" project to activate the use of bicycles and promote it as an alternative means of transportation.

Abdel Hamid adds that encouraging citizens to use bicycles as a safe and inexpensive means is fully supported by the most prominent figures in Egypt.

The two sides agreed to work together to select a site for the implementation of "Bescletta" in Cairo and to manage and operate the project using special cycling routes in the selected area to enable the safe use of the bicycle sharing system, according to Abdel Hamid.

The governor pointed out that the construction of these stations will be studied in areas where cars are not permitted such as Al-Moez, Saray Al-Azbekiya, Al-Alfi, Ahmed Orabi and youth gatherings near the universities of Cairo and Ain Shams.

The governor demanded that the prices of using this systemwill be suitable for young people, adding that the state seeks to encourage citizens to reduce the use of private cars and to reduce pollution by providing appropriate public transportation.

Hedeya pointed out that the bicycle sharing system is the technology of placing bikes in stations throughout the city,enabling residents to rent bicycles from place (A) and then leave the bike in place (B).

Hedeya added that Cairo is seeking to benefit from international experiences in the field of transportation.

Additionally, President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi participated in several cycling marathons to promote for using alternative means of transportation that reduce pollution.

In 2014, he participated in a marathon held by the Military Academy for 20 kilometers in which some ministers and public figures took part.

“Our objective is not just to promote exercising and activities, but to symbolize unity; our unity as a nation,” remarked President Sisi.

Sisi pointed out that the use of alternative transport solutions will save an average of LE 4 ($ 0.56) for citizens and LE 8 ($ 1.12) for the government per a 20 kilometer travel distance.]]>7/31/2018 3:24:52 PMAt just 16, debutant Emil Petrovic is the youngest participant in this year’s contest, the 452nd held on the gravity-defying white bridge that arches over the Neretva River through a point 24 meters (79 feet) above the water.

“In this town, it’s an obligation for every boy my age to dive off the Stari Most,” he said.

The graceful Ottoman-era Old Bridge that gives the city its name was finished in 1566 or 1567 and stood until Bosnian Croat artillery destroyed it in 1993, during the Bosnian War. A UNESCO World Heritage Site, it was rebuilt in 2004.

The first written account of young men leaping off Stari Most into the rushing waters of the Neretva comes from the 17th century Ottoman explorer Mehmed Zilli, known as Evliya Celebi, who traveled the empire for 40 years, recording his observations in his Book of Travel.

Celebi wrote that, when seen from a distance, the bridge “looks round like a bow out of which an arrow has just flown, and the bow froze”.

He said that the divers “run up before jumping from the bridge, fall down into the river and fly through the air like birds performing tricks”.

To this day, the ‘swallow dive’ that Celebi celebrated is still performed by Mostar’s divers - although Petrovic took a safer option, jumping in feet-first.

Sunday’s contest drew 40 local and international competitors and an audience of several thousand.

“It’s a fantastic feeling,” he said after emerging from the chilly emerald water to cheers of relief and admiration from the crowd.

“I wanted to preserve the tradition — but also to show that I’m grown-up and brave,” he said, adding that he had wanted to compete last year, but his mother said ‘no’.

“This time, my father persuaded her, and they are both proud.”]]>7/30/2018 11:51:42 AM Listening to myself articulate “33” out loud did make me wonder “Is time fleeing so rapidly? God! Am I getting old?”

But luckily, I took a trip down my memory lane and felt better in a second. I’m everything I’ve ever dreamed to be. I couldn’t be more proud of the young lady – yes young- I’ve turned out to be. I’m my best friend and although I’ve known defeat, loss and heartbreak, I’ve also known happiness, warmth and satisfaction and can’t be more grateful.

My journey has been very fruitful so far. I might have learned a thing or two, and I’m eager to continue exploring its realms if God grants me a little bit more of life. And here is a list of what I’ve learned and hope to keep learning:

1- Life will humble you in so many ways. Stay strong.

2 – Jerks do exist. You will meet people who will exploit your hard times and use you weaknesses no matter how good you've been to them. Stand up for yourself, loose one battle, but not the war. It will be the hardest and bravest thing you could do. Keep the faith despite confusion.

3- Don't put all eggs in one basket. We all know this advice, but kind of forget it along the way. Investing in just one area of your life is WRONG, as life has many aspects; don't put off some plans or dreams because of work or a relationship. Learn to prioritize.

4- Be selfish. It’s OK to put yourself first sometimes as long as you don't hurt others, at least not on purpose. Some people need others in their journey; such people feed off your energy and drain you. Choose you. You deserve to be loved; do not settle.

5- Know your worth, powers and skills, acknowledge them and act upon it, so you wouldn’t allow yourself to be used. Earn your respect and accept no less from others

6- Keep on learning and investing in your growth. What makes our journeys interesting is exploring and experiencing new adventures. The world changes so fast and if you don’t keep pace with it, you will be left out. Keep up with the universality of the world. Take that course and learn this language you’ve been wanting to learn. Small steps towards a plan have a huge impact.

7- You'd fall upon the thorns of life; you'd bleed, as the English poet Percy Shelley once said. I’m sorry I can’t tell you otherwise, but life is hard and unfair sometimes. You’ll know failure, maybe in a relationship or a career, and it’ll change the way you perceive life. Take your time to lament your losses, then get up. It happens to all of us, you are not alone in this. Fail smartly, don’t take it to your heart rather train yourself to be flexible.

8- Love hurts. Only the very lucky few avert its curse, if you are one of them, appreciate it and be grateful. If not, then know despite the pain that cracked your heart open, it was still worth it. You will be frightened to put down your armor one more time, but forgive. Heal. Then fall in love again.

8- Develop your support group. When tides are low, having an inner circle of close friends or family members could work wonders. Invest in such relationships; be there for them first so they can be there for you in your time of need. Family should ALWAYS come first.

9- Financial stability. By the time you are in your 30s, it’s better to have a clear plan about your finances, especially during an economic crunch such as the one we are experiencing in Egypt at the moment. Yet, never put off a dream for the sole purpose of saving money. You will not be this young forever. Learn to work on a budget.

10- Know thy self. Being friends with yourself is step number one for peace of mind which is essential to leading a good life. Listen to your inner whispers, be kind towards yourself, little pampering every now and then hurts no one. Be alone so you train yourself to enjoy solitude, and in doing so you’d realize it’s your best company. Once you master this, all your relationships will be balanced as they wouldn’t be based on your need to be with others, but rather on your desire to have a compatible companionship.

Also, getting to know yourself better will stop you from being snared into conforming to someone else’s vision of you. People sometimes are so confused in their journeys that they would try to piece you together in a fashion that suits their idea of what a good person should be. Doubting yourself is almost impossible if you have a healthy relationship with yourself.

12- Set a goal. Be aware that when you don't have a clear plan, you allow yourself to be used as a tool to help someone else achieve their dreams. This one is on you. It's OK to align your dreams with others as long as you are working towards a clear plan that serves you.

13- We are all walking towards our death. Take it easy. Choose to be kind, and don’t regret it.

14- Don't trust time. It’s as Alfred Lord Tennyson described it ages ago “a maniac scattering dust”. Time will always outpace you no matter how hard you try - it’s one of those unequal battles we are destined to fight- so add life to your years. Take action now, do what your heart tells you NOW, you’ll have plenty of time to regret it later on your death bed. The problem about time is timing; our desires change and if you missed the opportunity of fulfilling them on the right time, something shuts off and it’s never the same again, like a late love confession, or an overdue trip to a dream destination.

15- Be a seeker. Seek knowledge, light and a meaning. We are all on a quest, search for faith. Faith will help you be less tense in a world falling victim to hatred and darkness. Be a light if you can. A smiley face and a kind heart will suffice.

16-We all have the ability to hurt. People don't always tend to be nasty and hurtful, sometimes we cross paths at a time when others -be it friends, family or lovers - are lost in their own journeys and they unintentionally break our hearts only to leave us wondering what we did wrong so we wake up one day with this huge pain in our chests and we are no longer the same. But we all get lost at times and can hurt just the same. Forgive and move on. Know that by forgiving, you're setting yourself free.

17- Take care of your health. This is the right time to start adapting healthy habits like eating more fruits and vegetables, drinking water, and exercising. Not as hard as it seems, I promise.

18- Apologize for your mistakes. Even if years go by, and you've done something wrong to someone, apologize and give those people the closure they deserve. How many unfinished stories haunted us for years; our lives and others' lives will be so much easier if we communicated better and let go of our ego. Have some guts and say you're sorry!

19- Never stop marveling. God has created wonders all around us that we tend to overlook such as the sky above our heads with its untold secrets, sunsets and sunrises and many more daily miracles. If you behold what others can't fathom, stick to it and explore some more.

20- Age is just truly a number. Believe it. Never make age an excuse for not trying, for not living, for not experiencing new things. We don't know when we are going to die which means here and now is the essence of life. Today we are the youngest we will ever be, carpe diem. Seize the day!

]]>7/29/2018 4:41:47 PMAs a first milestone, Huawei Music Service is exclusively adding one of the latest and beautiful songs of renowned Arab singer Elissa - “Al Makhfi”, to its music library for all Huawei users for a week starting from July 18 till the official album’s release.

“We are delighted to launch Huawei Music Service for our MENA users. We aim to bring the latest and the best music experience to customers in the MENA region. The new service offers a fun, user-friendly and seamless music streaming service, allowing listeners to enjoy free high-quality music conveniently on their smartphones,” Justin Chen, Managing Director of Huawei MENA Consumer Cloud Service Dept said.

In addition to this exclusive song, Elissa has also recorded 15 songs that will be launched on Huawei Music Service on 26th July. The library will also include the late singer and actress Warda Al – Jazairia’s song “Wahashtony” for the one and only “Baligh Hamdy”. For the new albums, she has cooperated with several poets and composers including Amir Teima, Ramy Gamal, Nader Abdallah and Walid Said.

Keeping on top of regional music trends and taste, Huawei Music Service has partnered with Rotana, the leading Arabic Music content provider in the region, offering music from top and famous singers MENA market like Mohammad Abdo, Majid Al Muhandis, Elissa, Angham Wael Kfoury, Hatem Al Iraqi and more.

In addition to Rotana music, Huawei music has partnered with top local and international content providers such as Qanawat and Mazzika, to facilitate regional and international music collection for the region’s music enthusiast, which will bring famous international singers and master masterpiece songs to the user in the coming months.

During July, all MENA Huawei CBG consumers with system EMUI 5.0 and above may receive upgrade notification or system push notification. Users can also experience this exclusive service by visiting http://music.huaweimobilecloudservice.com/ar/ and downloading the App to enjoy their favorite songs.

Huawei Music Service plans to bring multiple activities and incentives for their listeners such as competitions to participate and win exciting surprises soon. Please follow our Facebook official account @HuaweiMobileServicesMENA to keep in touch with more newly songs and activities.

]]>7/29/2018 3:18:09 PMIga, a small city in central Japan, has long dubbed itself the home of one style of the black-clad, throwing-star-wielding covert agents for hire, staging ninja shows and offering “ninja experiences” for tourists.

But a program aired last week on National Public Radio in the United States about Iga’s ninja-centered town promotion effort set off a frenzy of internet interest after its host said the city faced a shortage of ninja performers and even quoted potential salaries, giving the impression it might be hiring.

“That’s wrong, all wrong,” said Motoyoshi Shimai, an official of Iga’s tourism strategy division. “There was no discussion about that, and we didn’t mention money.”

Still, the city received volleys of telephone and email queries from 115 ninja wannabes in 23 countries, including Japan.

“Most were questions about whether we were really hiring, but there were a few that begged us to employ them and tried to promote themselves,” Shimai added. “Some had real confidence in their bodies and strength.”

Iga ultimately issued a statement in several languages saying it was not hiring and warning against fake news, but said plenty of other ninja fun was on offer.

“(The city) is the Iga-style ninja birthplace. We can feel breath of ninja at every turn of downtown,” it said.

City officials were surprised but not annoyed by the fuss, Shirai said.

“We were made to viscerally feel how high interest is in ninjas all around the world,” he added.]]>7/29/2018 12:31:58 PMSpice Girls fan Alan Smith-Allison has gathered hundreds of the group’s stage costumes and pieces of merchandise he has collected since the 1990s and put them on display alongside other items on loan for “SPICEUP”, which kicks off on Saturday.

“It’s so iconic and so colorful and glittery and glamorous and important in music culture that it annoys me when it’s all kept in storage boxes in a dark place,” Smith-Allison told Reuters.

“It needs to be out on show for fans to come and appreciate it and there are millions and millions of Spice Girls fans around the world that would love to see them.”

The 37-year-old said he became a Spice Girls fan when the group’s “Wannabe” debut single stormed the charts in 1996.

He began collecting CDs and videos and bought his first Spice Girls costume in 2007 when Melanie Brown, known as Scary Spice, hosted a charity sale.

TENS OF MILLIONS OF RECORDS SOLD

Soon other purchases followed and Smith-Allison, who says he has met three of the five Spice Girls, built up a collection he says has cost him “hundreds of thousands pounds”.

“(The collection) comes straight from the start, from the beginning, when these five girls came onto the pop music scene with just five incredible personalities, in your face, a lot of fun, a lot of kind of messages that can resonate,” he said.

The Spice Girls went on to sell more than 80 million records worldwide, winning legions of fans with their catchy tunes and messages of “Girl Power”.

In 2000 they said would be going on an indefinite break and would focus on their solo careers.

Earlier this week, Brown told a television talk show the group had agreed to a reunion, saying: “For sure we are getting back together”.

They performed together at the 2012 London Olympics and the exhibition has on-loan the red dress Geri wore for that. Smith-Allison says he hopes to one day own all the outfits worn for that performance.

“They’re my kind of dream now, but I don’t think the girls will ever part with them,” he said.

The exhibition runs in London until Aug. 20 then moves to Manchester.]]>7/28/2018 11:33:19 AMBut there’s something more to the HUAWEI P20 Pro—something that’s understandably piqued the interest of journalists, and seized the attention of consumers far and wide.

Of course, we’re talking about the “Twilight” gradient color scheme. Available exclusively to the HUAWEI P20 Pro, the shimmering finish has been the talk of the town ever since the color was first announced.

Featuring a gradient that smoothly transitions from purple to blue then to teal—in the same order laws of physics sort colors on the visible light spectrum—underneath a premium glass back, the Twilight variant of P20 Pro was sold out in its home court, China, almost immediately once it was made available, which is a good indication of its popularity among consumers.

So what inspired HUAWEI to create the popular color scheme? One needs only look out of the window for the answer. That’s right; it was nature, the world’s greatest artist of all time. From the very beginning of the design process, HUAWEI’s design team has been taking notes from the best of the best. For the Twilight color in particular, HUAWEI was inspired by the aurora borealis, or better known as the Northern Lights.

It does not take formal training for one to appreciate nature, for our ability to perceive nature as a thing of beauty is innate to all of us. Throughout history, nature has inspired countless great painters to create great masterpieces. In China, court painters through dynasties transposed their impressions of the natural landscape onto paper using ink, water and a brush. Towering mountains, rolling hills and narrow rivers were painted onto scrolls of paper with lively brushstrokes, dots and ink wash. This ancient art form, known today as guohua, is considered one of the most respected of all in classical Chinese art.

In the West, greats such as Claude Monet and Vincent van Gogh were also no stranger to nature. Monet rejected the stylistic norms of his time and developed his own way to capture the beauty of nature, using his observations of changing lights to encapsulate the beauty he beheld. Van Gogh, the tragic genius that needs no introduction, once wrote to his brother “…if I felt no love for nature and my work, then I would be unhappy.” He featured objects of nature prominently in many of his works, and Sunflowers, Wheatfield with Crows, and Irises, were but a few from the prolific artist.

Just like some of the greatest artists throughout history, Joon Suh Kim, Chief Design Officer at Huawei, and his team were inspired by nature, and the gorgeous gradient color is their brain-child. According to Joon, “HUAWEI’s designers are not just designers, but dreamers as well. As designers, we get inspirations everywhere; as dreamers, we’re obliged to come up with ideas that the consumers themselves don’t yet know they love, such as the Twilight color.”

The dreamy color scheme was specifically developed to capture the magnificence and mysteriousness of the aurora. Careful decisions were made to ensure that when the gradient effect is shrunk to the size of a handheld device, the intensity of the natural phenomenal would retain its full glory.

To execute this unique effect, HUAWEI had gone through countless prototypes in order to get it just right. In the end, HUAWEI settled on using an optical non-conductive vacuum metalizing (NCVM) coating for the effect—and the results are some of the most natural expressions of the aurora seen on a smartphone back.

Recently, the HUAWEI P20 Pro was named “Best Smartphone of 2018” at European Hardware Awards 2018, an annual award organised by the European Hardware Association. The European Hardware Awards recognise and celebrate the best electronic products in the European market, as selected by experienced editors from around the world. This award further strengthens HUAWEI P20 Pro’s position as a market leader.]]>7/25/2018 2:40:57 PMThe statement issued by the institute added that the eclipse is considered the longest in the 21 st century.

The statement also pointed out that the moon will pass through all stages of the eclipse from beginning to end.

The total eclipse of the moon will last one hour and 43 minutes, the statement continued.]]>7/25/2018 12:53:07 PMOn four weekends this summer, Budapest’s 19th century Liberty Bridge is closed to traffic, becoming a free urban space for Hungarians and tourists to drink wine, relax in hammocks, and enjoy the balmy summer breeze over the river.

People practice yoga on Liberty Bridge in Budapest, Hungary, July 22, 2018. Picture taken July 22, 2018. REUTERS/Bernadett Szabo

“There is a very special flow and dynamics here,” said Zita Demeter, a yoga teacher who taught one of the morning classes.

“People can connect to the flow of the Danube, the atmosphere of Budapest ... and the bridge as a symbol is also present in yoga as it helps to connect.”

After locals took over the closed bridge for days during a temporary construction work in the summer of 2016, a civil organization convinced the Budapest municipality to close it to traffic for a few days again last year.

This proved so popular with tourists and locals that the bridge festival has become a regular event.

People practice yoga on Liberty Bridge in Budapest, Hungary, July 22, 2018. Picture taken July 22, 2018. REUTERS/Bernadett Szabo

“We thought let’s make a public space where nothing costs money,” said Benjamin Peter, the project’s coordinator. “Everybody can bring their own (food and drink) and they can share if they want.”

A few steps down the bridge, a small group set up their barbecue, grilling sausages.

“You see that there are so many people from Hungary and from around the world ... they are all enjoying themselves, drinking something, chilling, so this is why it’s a good place: a melting pot in the middle of the city,” said Peter Toth, 29, an accountant who came with his friends.

Later in the day, the bridge is transformed again, as a concert of swing music takes over, prompting several couples to dance, while others sit on the pillars, drinking wine and chatting.

“This is unique that we are on Liberty Bridge: we have this freedom that emanates from the Danube,” said Katalin Rakosi, 40, a financial advisor, who came with her mother as a birthday treat.
]]>7/24/2018 9:40:29 AMFounded in France in the 1980s as the Art du Deplacement and later taking its name from the French word ‘parcours’ (course or route), Parkour involves running, climbing and jumping acrobatically around buildings and over terrain.

The women have trained every week for the past six months with the eventual aim of forming the first professional Parkour team in Egypt.

Ten women took part in last Friday’s training, which focused on building upper body strength and different methods of dealing with surroundings.

Curious crowds, accustomed to women taking a low profile in Egypt, often congregate to watch the training, sometimes taking pictures and filming. But the women keep up the training unhindered, insisting that no sport is exclusive for men.

“It is natural that people did not accept it because they were not used to it,” said Zayneb Helal, one of the players.

“They did not accept the idea that girls could play sports, let alone on the street,” she added.

It is uncommon for women to play such sports on the streets in Egypt. A 2017 Thomson Reuters Foundation survey of experts on how women fared in mega cities rated Cairo as the world’s most dangerous megacity for women, while London came out as best.

“Women are now training and more women are starting to come,” Omran said. “As the sport spreads the acceptance of women training increases and it is not unusual for women to have a team and train,” he added.

Parkour is played by men in Egypt but the sport is neglected and has no regulatory body. Parkour Egypt, a group that comprises men and women, has grown exponentially after starting off with a handful of players.

Last year Britain became the first country officially to recognize Parkour as a sport.

“It needs more time to evolve and the sport needs to spread more so that people would learn about it,” Helal said.

]]>7/23/2018 11:10:14 AMThe three-day event is billed by organizers as providing a motoring experience “like 50 years ago”. Only cars built before 1972 can take part and no electronic devices are allowed, only mechanical ones to measure speed and distance.

“It’s like a huge family party... Wonderful people, wonderful landscape. It’s not about the competition, it’s not about winning, it’s about friendship and meeting great people,” said Florian, a former winner who is taking part in the rally for the sixth time and driving an Aston Martin built in 1960.

Participants have to observe speed limits and drive as closely as possible to a given time. If they miss it they receive penalty points.

The cars cover about 450 kilometers (280 miles) on each of the two driving days through picturesque alpine scenery, ending in the town of Groebming.

]]>7/22/2018 11:33:32 AMJeddah Astronomy Society reported that Jupiter will be visible as a red point of light, adding that through the use of a telescope, it is easy to see Jupiter’s disc and the main surface features of the moon.

The moon and Jupiter will be visible within the same frame through a telescope, but they are not close to each other in space.

Jeddah Astronomy Society further added that the moon is the nearest celestial body to us; it is about 243,000 kilometers away, while Jupiter is the fifth planet in terms of distance from the sun, which is located more than 1,900 times the distance of the moon to the Earth away.

The moon will also meet Saturn on July 24 and then move towards Mars on July 27 in conjunction with the lunar eclipse, Jeddah Astronomy Society reported.
]]>7/21/2018 5:09:32 PMHighlights of this year’s Comic-Con include the introduction of the first female “Doctor Who”, played by British actress Jodie Whittaker, and a reunion for the cast of the U.S. television drama “Breaking Bad”.

Celebrations are also being held to mark a decade of the Marvel Cinematic Universe media franchise and the 25th anniversaries of the sci-fi TV show “The X-Files”, stop-motion animated movie “The Nightmare Before Christmas”, and the blockbuster film “Jurassic Park”.

“We love the family feeling here,” said Miguel Capuchino, who was dressed as a male version of a female character from the “The Nightmare Before Christmas”.

“It’s just a bunch of geeks getting together and there’s no judging, everybody’s just very supportive”.

The annual four-day event, started as a get-together for sci-fi fans to trade comic books in 1970, is now the largest comic book convention of its kind, with over 130,000 people attending guest panels and visiting the venues featuring paintings, comics, movies, TV shows and gaming programs.

Master planned by internationally-acclaimed I.ElHabrouk Architects, the exceptional 62-acre land area with a 420 square meter beachfront guarantees homeowners unmatched privacy and a celebration of individuality, offering unobstructed sea and lake views that allow each family to get their own piece of paradise.

A pool in a chalet at Zoya Ghazala Bay - press photo

Contemporary clean lines mark the architecture and construction of this glorious coastal haven, and the design of homes captures the gorgeous natural beauty and stunning vistas of the Mediterranean, with cascading levels, spacious terraces and lush gardens.

Situated along the pristine Ghazala Bay coastline, the premium vacation resort has a compelling collection of 360 units of first class accommodation quality, ranging from 100 sqm chalets all the way up to elegantly appointed 375 sqm standalone villas. Every home at Zoya Ghazala Bay is a private seafront retreat and a true testament to luxury living.

Abundant massive windows flood the units with natural light and afford the magnificent and glorious views of the Mediterranean and the lush green backdrop while spacious green patios and patterned outdoor terraces guarantee the perfect setting for relaxation and gatherings in complete privacy and serenity.

A diverse range of amenities and services completes this vacation setting: a world class spa and gym, fine dining restaurants, a deluxe 380-room hotel, a gourmet market and an entertainment venue.

Fully finished, air-conditioned units will also be on offer to bring owners a completely hassle-free experience.

The new project, located at 142 km Alex - Matrouh Road, is launching its residences with prices starting at EGP 2.65 million - 10 percent down payment and the rest installed over the span of 7 years, with delivery scheduled for 2022.

Zoya is Landmark Sabbour's latest project in Egypt. The company has been developing luxurious lifestyles and modern living spaces in prime locations around the world including Layan residential compound in New Cairo, two residential projects in Dubai including: Continental Tower in Dubai Marina and Rukan residential compound, as well as the historic-themed building Muntaner 91 in Barcelona.

For more information about Zoya Ghazala Bay and Landmark Sabbour’s latest projects, clients are urged to contact the company’s online website at: www.landmark-sabbour.com or dial the hotline number: 16295.

]]>7/19/2018 11:31:05 AM “When I was 4 years old, I traveled with my family to Saudi Arabia because of my parents' work then went back to Egypt to study at the American University. I traveled to study in England then in the U.S.A with a grant from the American University. I spent 22 years working in a pharmaceutical company, and as a professor at a university in America,” Mubasher said.

"God gave me my two sons; Omar Mubasher, 24, who studies medicine in America, and Youssef, 14. I was always keen to teach my sons the Egyptian values and the teachings of Islam,” She added.

She held a wedding party for her eldest son in America, but Mubasher wanted to have another wedding party in SharKia governorate to make her family happy and strengthen her son's love for Egypt.

Omar said he and his wife were very happy to have a second wedding in Egypt, stressing that his wife enjoyed fasting the holy month of Ramadan and baking kahk with the family.

Omar's wife said she was happy to spend her honeymoon in Alexandria, adding that she had visited the pyramids and El-Moez Street.

]]>7/18/2018 11:03:32 AMEngland enjoyed their best World Cup performance in 28 years under Southgate’s leadership, reaching the semi-finals and narrowly missing a spot in the final, losing to Croatia after extra-time.

Southgate proved popular with England’s fans for helping create a renewed sense of optimism and after the team returned home on Sunday Transport for London (TfL) rebranded Southgate underground station in North London as the “Gareth Southgate” station for 48 hours.

“We have to celebrate the achievement, it’s important,” said Patricia Gomez, 44, who traveled from Morden in south London on her day off on Monday to get a photograph with the new sign.

“(Gareth) was awesome, he gave the team motivation, he made them work as a family.”

After winning the tournament on Sunday, France also saw similar tributes on the Paris Metro, where six stops have been temporarily renamed.

Southgate’s popularity led many fans to copy his fashion style during matches of wearing a waistcoat as he watched from the dugout. One retailer said sales of waistcoats had soared during the tournament while the day of the semi-final clash with Croatia was dubbed “Waistcoat Wednesday”.

“Maybe we’ll get a statue next,” said Steve Ingall from TfL.]]>7/17/2018 11:27:44 AM

At this dangerous stage, teenagers are looking for ways to be independent, so they may be more rebellious than usual.

Your teenagers are not children anymore; parents should avoid things that might stand in the way of smooth communicate with their sons/ daughters.

Some facts you need to know when raising a teenager:

1. Parents should know that teens have a lot to learn and that learning has to be through failures and mistakes; they should get closer to their daughters/sons and let them express themselves.

2. Parents should hear them out, and never say no without discussion. Do not be a dictator; this behavior makes a teen more of a rebel.

3. Parents should give them some freedom to take responsibility for their actions and feel independent.

4. Parents should be calm; whenever parents feel angry, they should take a moment to gather themselves, especially that teens know how to push their parents' buttons.

5. Parents should always reward teens with an interesting journey or a special gift if they do something good.

6. Parents should handle conflicts with teens by monitoring their reactions, taking some time out before talking, and speaking calmly. If a teen does something they are not allowed to do, explain calmly and ask them why they broke the rules.

7. Parents should communicate with teenagers and try to understand their points of view to help build their characters through discussion and mutual understanding.

8. Parents should spend quality time with their teens, and do activities together like having a family game night, bearing in mind that teens might want to spend more time with their friends at that age.

9. Parents should respect teenagers’ opinions and teach them what respect looks like; this will boost their self-confidence and will let them know you trust them. Do not forget to praise them for what they do especially in front of people.

10. Parents should get to know their sons/daughters' friends, it will help them make sure they are safe.

11. Parents should not be shy to apologize to teenagers. Keep in mind that if parents do not apologize when they have to, their sons/daughters may be psychologically affected for the rest of their lives as it might impact their sense of self-worth.
]]>7/16/2018 11:38:29 AMThe introduction of the scooter or bikes in the country has paved the way for a large potential market with a lower penalty from congestion, operating systems, and environmental impacts. According to the UN, 55 per cent of the world’s population lives in urban areas, a proportion that is expected to increase to 68 per cent by 2050 - and commuting to and from those urban areas, there will be an incredible demand for various modes of transport.

Careem was the first private market entrant in this intelligent transport category, adding a bikes classification as a ride-hailing service in its application portfolio. This inevitably contributes to Egypt’s Vision 2030 objective of developing Egypt’s capital as a sustainable city and community for an efficient quality of life.

According to the World Bank, the economic costs of traffic congestion in Cairo could be as high as 4% of GDP annually, equivalent to EGP 50 billion a year[1]. The economic costs are beyond travel delays and they include wasted fuel, health impacts due to poor air quality and accidents, and impacts on economic productivity. Shared mobility could lead to an 80 per cent reduction in the number of vehicles by 2050.

In turn this reduces pollution and C02 emissions, congestion and need for parking and parking spaces. Around 50 hours per person every month are spent in traffic and 60 percent of trips only have one passenger per vehicle, and bikes have become an alternative transport method forming a solution to the traffic. With urban development at the top of the agenda for policy-makers in the country, there are growing challenges to tackle translated into possible solutions from the private sector. The influence of ride-hailing apps educating the population on the development of transportation alternatives is increasing in demand.

Car drivers are starting to realize that transport through bikes is saving them time and money, especially as rush hours create dramatic consequences for all road users in the fast-pace city life. With this in mind, people are embracing this upcoming trend by ride-hailing apps considering the boost to productivity and the reduction in duration of trips through traffic. Careem Egypt, pioneering this trend in the country with rides that start at 6 EGP that is affordable to the masses with security insurance on all trips. Bikes have been proven to be 3 times faster than passenger cars, and 50% more affordable in cities.

Ramy Kato, Careem Egypt Managing Director, commented on Careem’s efforts stating: “With different transport modes, we’ve been solving local problems with local solutions, but we are also creating a unifying platform. We look at what fits the distinct make-up of each location, and if you look at the markets where we are present, we have tried to reduce prices and make our service more affordable while doing so. This shared mobility could lead to an 80% reduction in the number of vehicles and CO2 emissions by 2050.”

Bikes should become an upcoming attractive alternative transport method, with many trips made by solo travelers such as driving to work. This should appeal to the masses who want the flexibility of driving with lower congestion and parking costs. This is in addition to the fact that the bikes are available and operate in urban areas that have limited accessibility to cars, achieving a more attractive demand for travelers that are constrained in travel options. Discomfort during poor weather conditions is less of an issue to worry about in Egypt with moderate weather conditions all year around, making bikes the most trendy transport option in Cairo.

Egypt’s Vision 2030 under the Urban Development Pillar evaluates the dependence on traditional technologies for provisions of facilities and services. The state’s follow up of traditional means to cover facilities instead of modern technologies or dependence on local resources results in unnecessary increases in the expenses of covering the services. Additionally, the quality deterioration in public transportation does not fulfill the needs of all citizens which limits the demand for using them. Careem’s services integrating bikes in Cairo’s streets assists in developing plausable solutions to these challenges using technology to empower choices of transportation and allows for a diversity of options for the masses to use different methods of transportation across private and public sectors.

Since launching, Careem has rapidly grown and created around 850,000 jobs and we are creating between 60,000 and 70,000 new jobs every month as the Careem model for moving people expands into more cities and countries across the region.

]]>7/15/2018 4:05:05 PMThe contentious term "sex addiction" has been around for decades but experts disagree over whether the condition exists.

In the latest update of its catalogue of diseases and injuries around the world, the WHO takes a step towards legitimising the concept, by acknowledging "compulsive sexual behaviour disorder", or CSBD, as a mental illness.

But the UN health body stops short of lumping the condition together with addictive behaviors like substance abuse or gambling, insisting more research is needed before describing the disorder as an addiction.

"Conservatively speaking, we don't feel that the evidence is there yet... that the process is equivalent to the process with alcohol or heroin," WHO expert Geoffrey Reed told AFP Saturday.

In the update of its International Classification of Diseases (ICD), published last month, WHO said CSBD was "characterised by persistent failure to control intense, repetitive sexual impulses or urges… that cause marked distress or impairment".

But it said the scientific debate was still ongoing as to "whether or not the compulsive sexual behaviour disorder constitutes the manifestation of a behavioural addiction".

Reed said it was important that the ICD register, which is widely used as a benchmark for diagnosis and health insurers, includes a concise definition of compulsive sexual behaviour disorder to ensure those affected can get help.

"There is a population of people who feel out of control with regards to their own sexual behaviour and who suffer because of that," he said pointing out that their sexual behaviour sometimes had "very severe consequences."

"This is a genuine clinical population of people who have a legitimate health condition and who can be provided services in a legitimate way," he said.

It remains unclear how many people suffer from the disorder, but Reed said the ICD listing would likely prompt more research into the condition and its prevalence, as well as into determining the most effective treatments.

"Maybe eventually we will say, yeah, it is an addiction, but that is just not where we are at this point," Reed said.

But even without the addiction label, he said he believed the new categorisation would be "reassuring", since it lets people know they have "a genuine condition" and can seek treatment.

- No excuse for rape -

Claims of "sex addiction" have increasingly been in the headlines in step with the #MeToo movement, which has seen people around the world coming forward with allegations sexual mistreatment.

The uprising has led to the downfall of powerful men across industries, including disgraced Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein, who has reportedly spent months in treatment for sex addiction.

Reed said he did not believe there was reason to worry that the new CSBD listing could be used by people like Weinstein to excuse alleged criminal behaviours.

"It doesn't excuse sexual abuse or raping someone ... any more than being an alcoholic excuses you from driving a car when you are drunk. You have still made a decision to act," he said.

While it did not recognise sex addiction in the first update of its ICD catalogue since the 1990s, WHO did for the first time recognise video gaming as an addiction, listing it alongside addictions to gambling and drugs like cocaine.

The document, which member states will be asked to approve during the World Health Assembly in Geneva next May, will take effect from January 1, 2022 if it is adopted.]]>7/15/2018 4:20:00 AMThis was the second performance outside of the prison in as many years for the four-year old project, which has helped a former inmate land a job in the Gulbenkian Foundation’s concert hall. Others hope to follow suit and launch a music career.

“That’s the best social reintegration we can do,” said Carla Pragosa, a director of the Leiria prison for young offenders.

The project brings together officers and inmates as well as their families and friends, who sing or work on scenic design.

Tiago Silva was among the 19 young inmates who got up on stage to sing in front of hundreds of people at the foundation’s concert hall, while accompanied by the acclaimed Gulbenkian Orchestra - an experience the 23-year-old will never forget.

“I don’t see my family often because they don’t have enough money to visit me in prison,” Silva, dressed like most other performers in a white tee-shirt and black jeans, told Reuters.

“But my two daughters are here to see the concert and I think they’ll be proud.”

Director Paulo Lameiro and his team introduced inmates to classical music, heard their stories and found a way to bring their experiences to the big stage.

During the concert, Silva, who is serving a seven-year sentence for a crime he would not reveal, also performed a rap song dedicated to his family, in which he apologized to his mother for his wrongs.

“These young people are very creative, they are resilient but the routines of our prison system make it hard for them to change,” Lameiro said.

The Council of Europe has criticized Portugal for not giving prisoners sufficient opportunities to “work or to engage in education or other purposeful activities”.

Prison director Pragosa said opera could help.

“Prison life is alien to those who have never been in jail so this project allows people to understand that inmates can change,” she said. “The idea is to give inmates the tools they need to reintegrate back into society.”]]>7/14/2018 11:30:41 AMThe South African Reserve Bank said the notes depict Mandela's life including his upbringing in rural Eastern Cape as the son of a chief, his 27-year incarceration and the end of apartheid in 1994 when he became president. Mandela died in 2013 aged 95.

The launch forms part of events across the world, culminating locally in an annual Mandela Day lecture by former U.S. president Barack Obama next week.

The etching on the 1-ounce gold coin of a smiling middle-aged Mandela with his hair parted down the middle was designed by Zimbabwe-born Sindiso Nyoni, whose work includes stinging rebukes of former Zimbabwean leader Robert Mugabe.

"Growing up and living most of my life under a dictatorship, we were not able to experience this feeling of democracy that South Africans have," Nyoni said. Mandela's face already graces all South Africa's banknotes.]]>7/13/2018 2:30:14 PMThe pair arrived at Dublin airport, with Harry wearing a green tie and former Hollywood actress Meghan in a dark green Givenchy dress that appeared to have been chosen with Ireland’s national color in mind. They began their trip by visiting Prime Minister Leo Varadkar.

Later, Harry greeted guests with a few words in the Irish language before giving a toast at a summer garden party at the British ambassador’s residence.

“Standing here with you on this beautiful evening, it is easy to see why Ireland has such a special place in the hearts of my family,” Prince Harry told guests.

“As each other’s closest neighbors, the UK and Ireland’s relationship is unique; our shared history is long and complex. There have of course been challenging, and at times tragic, periods of that relationship.”

Champagne in hand, he finished his speech with the traditional Irish toast “Slainte.”

Harry said he and Meghan hoped to reflect on some of the difficult passages in the neighboring islands’ history when they visit a memorial to Ireland’s Great Famine of the 1840’s and the Gaelic sports stadium Croke Park. British troops opened fire on a crowd there nearly a century ago, on a day known as Bloody Sunday during Ireland’s War of Independence.

Britain’s royal family has played an important role in developing Anglo-Irish relations in recent years, in particular in 2011 when Queen Elizabeth made the first state visit by a British monarch since Ireland won its independence from London in 1921.

The queen, whose husband’s uncle was killed by an Irish nationalist bomb in 1979, offered powerful gestures of reconciliation during her hugely successful four-day trip, made possible by a 1998 peace deal that ended a paramilitary war against British rule of Northern Ireland.

Harry said his grandmother has since spoken of the fantastic welcome she received.

Kensington Palace tweeted an update of Harry and Meghan’s arrival in both English and Irish.

Many Irish people have a gossipy interest in their nearest neighbor’s royal family. Ireland’s national broadcaster carried live coverage of the royal wedding, part of a global TV audience of many millions.

RSVP, one of Ireland’s most popular celebrity magazines, ran a live blog of the visit on Tuesday which was also the top story on the website of the Irish Independent, the country’s highest selling daily newspaper.]]>7/11/2018 11:32:57 AMThis loss will affect the profit of the Qahwas (local coffee shops), which helped people who are not beIN Sports subscribers to watch the World Cup matches.

During the games, the prices of drinks such as tea, coffee or juice were increased by 20 percent; on a normal day, a cup of tea costs LE 2.5 ($ 0.14), which was increased to LE 3 at most of the Qahwas in the slum and blue-collar areas across Cairo and Giza during the matches. However, after the national team’s loss, Qahwas won’t be earning the same amount of money.

Egyptians staying at Zalat Coffee shop and resturant in Nasr City, Giza, watching the World Cup games - Egypt Today

Qahwa owners consider the World Cup a great season, offering extra seats to attract as many customers as possible. “We already have 150 chairs and the number was increased to 550 seats during the tournament,” said M. Gad, a waiter in a Qahwa in Wadi Hof, Helwan.

“This number could not be enough as the games are not broadcast on other channels,” he told Egypt Today. "Booking a chair with a drink will cost between LE 25 – LE 30," he continued. Gad added the number of clients was not as big as it was expected because the Egyptian games were broadcast on the free beIN sport channel.

“Normally, there are 100 seats, but it depends on the match being aired. For example, if the Egyptian National team is playing, the number of seats increases to almost 200 chairs,” Explained a regular customer at a Qahwa in Ain Shams. Booking a chair at a Qahwa in Ain Shams costs LE 10 without the drink, but with the drink will cost about LE 15. “If all 100 seats are booked, the owner will gain approximately LE 1,500 during one football game.”

Therefore, over the period of one football game, one Qahwa with reasonable prices can make a profit of more than LE 13,700. The World Cup, with a total of 64 games, is a profitable season for hundreds of thousands of Qahwas and cafes. "In 2015, the number of Qahwas and cafes in Cairo only reached 100,000 cafes, most of them unlicensed," said former Cairo Governor, Galal al-Saeed, in media remarks.

Egyptians staying at a Coffee shop in Giza, watching the World Cup games - Egypt Today

“Reserving a seat costs LE 5 and this doesn’t include a drink, even if the person is not going to order, he still has to pay for the seat. The owner of the coffee shop may earn almost LE 2,000 a day,” Ibrahim Khalil, a friend of a Qahwa owner in Giza, clarified.

The price of having a drink in a Qahwa varies from one area to another. There are coffee shops where reserving a seat can reach LE 100. Whenever you sit at a local coffee shop at an upscale district, the prices gets higher. However, many people, particularly the youth, prefer watching games at Qahwas.

“I personally prefer watching football matches in general in a local coffee shop because I feel free. I feel like home when I watch the games with people who are like family,” Physician Mohamed Sultan told Egypt Today.

“I prefer watching matches at local cafés of course. The atmosphere is indescribable; it’s like a mini stadium. The people watching with you will boost your enthusiasm,” a football fan said.

“Obviously, I prefer watching matches at Qahwas because you don’t have to be embarrassed if you get angry or swear, but at a café you have to be respectful and try not to disturb other people watching; you feel like you are tied to a chair,” Alaa Ahmed Omar commented.

“It’s a very complicated issue regarding the prices now at any Qahwa,” a 15 year old boy said. “In Ain Shams region the price of a drink is cheaper than reserving the seat,” he continued “I have to pay LE 10 for the seat and order a drink which costs less than LE 5. It’s very frustrating.”

After Egypt’s loss and poor performance in the world cup, some Egyptians stopped watching the World Cup at the Qahwa.

“I have been to several Qahwas around Cairo to watch the World Cup with my friends. However, after Egypt’s disappointing performance, it’s mostly the young ones who still watch the World Cup” Mahmoud Abdel Azim, a young football fan commented.

“I personally stopped going to watch the matches at the Qahwa; I only go when friends ask me to join them,” a 42 year old teacher stated.
Meanwhile, Mostafa Mohammed, an accountant in a private company, said that he goes to watch any match at the Qahwa, especially the highly-competitive games like the one between Argentina and Nigeria. “This was a very intense match even though Nigeria lost in the last minute,” he added.]]>7/10/2018 12:47:44 PMRussian food is often thought of as bland and heavy, and indeed many dishes seem geared towards getting people through the grueling winter rather than amusing their palates.

But 28 year-old Egyptian Ahmed Morsy has made it a point of trying a new Russian dish every day. Meat-filled pelmeni dumplings and Beef stroganoff rank among his favorites.

“I love it, honestly. It’s better than I expected. I don’t like spicy food myself so for me it was perfect,” said Morsy as he perused a restaurant menu in the sweltering southern city of Volgograd.

“The whole country has exceeded my expectations. I had never been to Russia before, I thought the people would be grumpy and the country not that organized,” he said.

Indeed, most fans have been impressed by Russians – some in remote or industrial towns where tourists rarely tread – bending over backwards to help, dispelling preconceptions and spreading an upbeat atmosphere.

“I thought Russian food might be weird. I haven’t found it weird. But I do prefer the Uzbek and Azerbaijani barbecue,” said Morsy’s university pal Mamdooh El Eleila, 29, who ordered Kiev chicken, a fillet that is either fried or baked.

Indeed, food from nearby countries - particularly spicier Georgian cuisine - has been particularly popular with fans looking for a little more piquancy in their plates. Caviar bars and vodka cocktails have also been prized.

“WE MISS CHILI!”
Still, some fans from countries like India and Mexico, renowned for their succulent spicy fare, have not been impressed.

“The flavors here are quite salty. And of course we miss chili,” said Ricardo Garcia, a 32 year-old programmer decked out in the green Mexican football jersey.

“We brought hot sauce with us from Mexico but we forgot it in our last hostel and now were suffering a little. We found some ketchup with chili in a supermarket and that helps a little, but it’s not the same.”

His pal Heriberto Gonzalez, however, was far more upbeat.

“There are some soups that any Mexican mothers could prepare! Borscht, for example, because they use the potato in a very similar way. Of course, there’s a little bitter Russian flavor to it,” said Gonzalez, a 37 year-old who works in marketing.

“But if I wanted Mexican food, I would have stayed in Mexico!”

Some fans, however, have found temporary refuge in their own cuisine - like Egyptian physics student Ahmed Nasr, who was queuing for a shawarma.

But he said local waiters and chefs had also prodded him - via Google Translate - to try local fares including Russian lamb and buckwheat.

“I was at a buffet and the staff encouraged me to try Russian food. I liked it. I did not even know what they ate in Russia,” said Nasr, 31, who lives in Canada.

“In Canada we have Chinese, Indian, Middle Eastern food, but I’ve never seen Russian. Maybe I will look for a Russian restaurant - hopefully I can find one!” he laughed, adding that in any case he planned to return to Russia as a tourist.

]]>7/10/2018 11:18:11 AMThe participants, chosen from 12,000 eager applicants, posed standing and lying down on concrete, covered only in transparent red fabric, with the temperature hovering around 7 degrees Celsius (45 degrees Fahrenheit) in the wind.

“I saw it come up online and I was like, ‘Yes! Like I have to get involved.’ Spencer Tunick I feel is legendary for subversive art, nude subversive art. I feel like Melbourne could definitely do with a dose of that,” Jane Louise, one of the participants, told reporters.

Participants didn’t have their gear off for too long.

“I worked quickly in order to keep them not from freezing and I think I got some beautiful artworks,” Tunick told reporters.

Another participant, Belle Harvey, said: “Yeah, he was good fun. Every now and again we would laugh, and he would be like, ‘You need to be quiet. No smiling. Hands up’,”.

Woolworths, the owner of the suburban supermarket where the shots were taken, had at first refused to allow Tunick access to its car park, fearing it would inconvenience shoppers during busy weekend hours.

The retail giant relented when the artist agreed to take the shots on a quiet Monday morning instead.

Tunick was invited as part of a Melbourne arts festival.]]>7/9/2018 10:39:08 AMThe World Wife-Carrying Championship, now in its 23rd year, draws thousands of visitors to the town of 4,200 and has gained followers across the world.

There are official qualifying competitions in countries including the United States, United Kingdom, Sweden and Estonia. On Saturday, 53 couples from 13 countries joined the competition, organizers said.

The idea of wife-carrying as a sport was inspired by the 19th century legend of Ronkainen the Robber, who tested aspiring members of his gang by forcing them to carry sacks of grain or live pigs over a similar course.

The championship is also said to stem from an even earlier practice of wife-stealing - leading many present-day contestants to compete with someone else’s wife.

On Saturday, Lithuanian parents of two Vytautas Kirkliauskas and Neringa Kirkliauskiene won the race which involved running, wading through a slippery pool and getting through an obstacle course. The two defeated six times world champion Taisto Miettinen, a Finn.

Finland, which straddles the Arctic Circle and goes through long, dark winters, is no stranger to strange sports. It has also given the world the world boot throwing, air guitar and mobile phone throwing competitions, to name just a few.

“I think because we have only three months of light we need to come up with nice stuff to do during the summertime, and we want to show everyone we have a great sense of humor,” said Sanna-Mari Nuutinen, a volunteer at Saturday’s event.]]>7/8/2018 11:25:40 AMThe person was caught by a bull’s horn during the 875-metre run through the northern Spanish city. Four other people suffered minor injuries such as grazes after falling. All five were taken to hospital for treatment.

Around 2,000 people, most of them dressed in white and wearing red neck scarves, attend the sprint, running alongside six bulls and six bullocks on a narrow route that weaves through central Pamplona.

Lasting just under two and half minutes, and taking place on wet ground following rain the night before, this year’s sprint was slightly faster than average.

Saturdays are statistically the most dangerous day of the week-long San Fermin festival, leaving around seven people ]]>7/7/2018 11:23:24 AMYet today two-thirds of analysts tracked by Thomson Reuters recommend the stock, making it one of the sector’s biggest consensus buys, and CEO Pascal Soriot says he is “absolutely” happy to carry on into the 2020s as he chases early use of modern cancer drugs.

“I don’t have any plans to retire anytime soon,” he told Reuters.Soriot and his team are increasingly confident that while AstraZeneca may have lost one part of the battle for cancer market dominance, it can still win elsewhere by targeting tumors before they have spread around the body.

That is the second element of a twin-track strategy to differentiate AstraZeneca in the hot area of immune system-boosting drugs, which has seen rivals - led by Merck & Co (MRK.N) - leap ahead in late-stage or metastatic disease.

The idea that immunotherapy may actually work best in less sick patients is logical, since the immune system’s natural role is to destroy nascent tumors. Indeed, some cancer doctors believe this could become the main battleground in future.

“It’s not yet prime time ... but in the long run I think we will move immunotherapy to a more front-line early disease situation and I hope we will be treating more patients in that setting than in late-stage disease,” said John Haanen, an oncologist at the Netherlands Cancer Institute.

JUMP-START

AstraZeneca already has a jump-start here, since its Imfinzi immunotherapy is the new standard of care in treating early inoperable stage III lung cancer. That win follows a decision to run a study in this setting ahead of competitors.

“It was a smart move by AstraZeneca and they are now absolutely in business,” said Haanen.

Imfinzi sales will be a major focus for investors when the company reports half-year results on July 26.

Competitor Merck last month presented similar stage III results from a small study, but a larger trial using Bristol-Myers Squibb’s (BMY.N) Opdivo drug recently stopped recruiting patients, suggesting direct competition is not imminent.

AstraZeneca hopes to build on this lead in the so-called adjuvant setting, where drugs are given after surgery to keep the cancer from coming back.

Its BR.31 immunotherapy trial with Imfinzi was the first to start adjuvant therapy for lung cancer and the company thinks it could be the first to complete a major trial, with disease-free survival data due in 2020.

“We are certainly hopeful to be the first,” said David Berman, the group’s head of immuno-oncology.

Berman jumped ship from Bristol-Myers three years ago and believes his new employer has hit on a winning strategy. “By moving to early stage you can actually leapfrog competitors who are ahead of you in stage IV,” he said.

Still, the race is on in both the adjuvant and neoadjuvant setting, where treatment precedes surgery. With each trial taking several years, picking winners is not easy.

“If everyone is similar on timing, then it is going to come down to data,” said Liberum analyst Roger Franklin, who rates AstraZeneca a hold.

HOW LONG TO TREAT?
Lung cancer is by far the biggest killer among cancers and the top commercial opportunity for so-called PDx immunotherapy infusions expected to be worth $15 billion in sales this year, according to Thomson Reuters’ consensus forecasts.

AstraZeneca estimates the majority of lung cancer patients are being diagnosed relatively early in the disease, when there is a better chance of a cure.

One issue that concerns doctors is how long patients treated post-surgery should take immunotherapy drugs, especially given that they cost nearly $150,000 a year.

Most of the adjuvant trials now under way against various cancers are designed to give drugs for one year. Haanen is skeptical: “Do you really need a year’s treatment? Probably not.”

AstraZeneca is also pushing its early treatment mantra beyond immunotherapy with its lung cancer pill Tagrisso, which works is targeted at patients with specific genetic mutations that are particularly common in the booming Chinese market.

With a clear lead in this particular treatment area, AstraZeneca has time to build out its Tagrisso business in early disease through two big ongoing clinical trials.

Dan Mahony, a healthcare fund manager at Polar Capital, is bullish on AstraZeneca’s prospects but reluctant to predict how the fight will play out in the long term.

Still, he says: “There’s more going on at AstraZeneca than met the eye a year ago.”]]>7/6/2018 4:52:06 PMNot entirely, good news is you can still be part of the moment as CFCM has brought you piece of Russia straight to Tagamoa.

With the biggest and most lively screen in the entire country, measuring 16*9 meters, CFCM’s arena is everyone’s destination for an unprecedented experience for you, your family and friends. The arena can take up to 4000 fans in regular as well as VIP lounges where you are pampered under the umbrellas and enjoying a freezing drink, delicious food and the football and play station competitions that appealed to everyone.

For the overly enthusiast fans, sponsors of the Arena distribute cheering props to increase the feel of the stadium and bring more of Russia’s festivities to the Arena.
In the past confrontations of the Egyptian team, the Arena was always on fire despite the fact that Egypt did not make it to the next round but still achieved some exciting world records.

The hopes of Egypt to continue in the World Cup race are over but football lovers still have something to look forward to as this year’s competition carries many surprises for the whole world.

CFCM’s arena is everyone’s destination for an unprecedented experience for you, your family and friends. - Press Photo

The arena can take up to 4000 fans in regular, as well as VIP lounges. - Press Photo

While watching, you can enjoy cold drinks and delicious foods. - Press Photo]]>7/4/2018 5:29:58 PMMore than 6,000 km away from Moscow, in the Italian city of Florence, the United States swept to victory on Sunday in a much more magical contest - the Quidditch World Cup, based on the game dreamt up in J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter books.

More than 800 players from as far afield as Iceland and Hong Kong took part in the tournament - the largest yet staged in the muggle universe.

In the real-life game, two teams of seven players run around with broomsticks between their legs and engage in a full-contact, co-ed contest with elements of rugby, dodgeball and wrestling.

In the early rounds it was favorites USA and Australia who set the pace in the groups stages, played in sweltering temperatures.

In the first semi-finals USA beat Britain for a place in the final for the fourth time. Belgium became first-time finalists after beating Turkey.

The USA won the match 120 to 70, after Harry Greenhouse grabbed the ‘snitch’ within minutes of it coming onto the field, tied to the back of another player.

The first World Cup was held in Oxford in England back in 2012, when the USA took top honors. The team took the title again in 2014, but Australia caught the snitch to snatch victory two years ago in Frankfurt, Germany.

]]>7/3/2018 12:11:22 PMHometown said its bid, at A$2.30 cash-per-share, was superior to an identically priced offer from Canadian private equity firm Brookfield Asset Management (BAMa.TO), because Gateway had promised to pay out a 5.35 Australian cents dividend during the bidding contest.

Hometown’s cash offer would slip to A$2.25-a-share if Gateway was unwilling to sign a bid implementation agreement at the higher price. Gateway said it was considering the offer.

The bid implementation deal would contain features including a unanimous commitment by Gateway’s board to recommend the bid, Hometown said.

Gateway agreed to an exclusive due diligence by Brookfield Property Group, a unit of Canadian alternative asset manager Brookfield Asset Management Inc (BAMa.TO), which made a non-binding A$2.30-a-share offer for Gateway on June 21.

Brookfield’s offer trumped an earlier offer from Hometown of A$2.10 per share.

Investing in the retirement sector is viewed by analysts as a means to profit from Australia’s aging population and tap generous government subsidies offered to pensioners.]]>7/2/2018 1:22:36 PM

La Batalla de Vino is held each June in the town of Haro on the feast of St Peter, an event organisers say draws thousands of people.

On Friday, participants soaked each other with buckets and toy spray guns, turning their clothes a shade of purple.

]]>7/1/2018 11:29:51 AMAs tobacco use steadily and regularly decreases around the world due to rising prices, as a result of taxes, rigid regulations on tobacco companies and banning the marketing and advertising of tobacco products, the Middle East and Africa continues to be an anomaly. In fact, research has found that smokers are quickly on the rise in low- and middle-income countries on a global scale, and even more so in the Middle East and Africa due to weak, and sometime, non-existent, regulations and control measures.

According to CAPMAS 2015 survey linking smoking to income, expenditure and consumption, 23 million Egyptians are exposed to negative smoking, half of which are females. Moreover, 41.2 percent of employers smoke, and the average annual expenditure of an Egyptian household on smoking is LE 1,722 ($95.14).

“Egypt alone has seen its smoker population nearly double since 2000, reaching around 14.4 mn today. Water pipes known as shishas are popular in cafes, where smoking restrictions don’t apply,” according to Bloomberg.

Taxation continues to be the least used strategy worldwide.

Aligned with these findings, the Shares of Easter Tobacco in Egypt, which holds a monopoly on cigarette production in Egypt, have hit successive record highs with a significant 161 percent increase in shares in the first half of 2018.

Although Khaled Sadek, head of consumer and healthcare research at CI Capital, believes that this increase is due to a rise in prices, evidence does suggest that this increase also comes as a result of an increase of number of users.

“They raised their ex-factory prices by about 40 percent compared to last year and they still have a big part of their inventory of raw tobacco from before the currency float which makes the cost low for them and the margins higher,” explains Sadek.

“Tobacco is marketed mainly to men [in the Middle East and Africa]. To reverse this [the rise of smokers in the region], governments need to more firmly confront the tobacco industry’s efforts to recruit the next generation of smokers,” recommend Bloomberg’s editors.

Agreeing with this Enterprise writes, “Tobacco companies in the Middle East and Africa need to be slapped with more taxes, restrictions.”

Egypt alone has seen its smoker population nearly double since 2000, reaching around 14.4 mn today.

Cracking down on smoking

Experts have found that the most cost-effective and high impact move that leads to a decline in smokers are: raising tobacco taxes, abiding tobacco companies to print graphic health warnings on cigarette packs, banning tobacco advertisements and imposing laws that ban smoking in public areas.

Supporting this view, The World Bank has repeatedly advised of the importance of taxation, expressing its positive impact on decreasing the number of smokers; the Bank has actively worked on declining smokers by partners up with the World Health Organizations (WHO). Despite this, taxation continues to be the least used strategy worldwide.

Yet, not everyone agrees that an increase in prices leads to smokers quitting. “Historically, people don’t stop smoking,” Ahmed Hafez, the co-head of research at HC Brokerage in Cairo, tells Bloomberg, “What happens usually is that they cut the number of cigarettes they smoke per day, and then they usually divert to the normal habits again. But we haven’t seen a prolonged impact on demand since price increases.”

Enterprise writes, “Tobacco companies in the Middle East and Africa need to be slapped with more taxes, restrictions.”

Egypt takes action

To crack down on tobacco use, the Egyptian government, in July 2014, increased the retail prices of cigarettes, to cost about LE 1 more per pack, following an increase in cigarette taxes.

Another 50 percent increase followed in February 2015, and in 2016, prices hiked by another 10 percent.

During 2018, as a way to raise its revenues and tackle smoking, raised taxes once more, leading the government to expect to raise LE 7.072 billion ($402 million) in the 2018-19 draft budget in revenues from this tax, a government document said.

Egypt targets collecting LE 58.524 billion ($3.33 billion) in revenues from tobacco taxes, according to the Ministry of Finance; it is expected that tobacco taxes will come to LE 51.452 billion ($2.93 billion) during this financial year, ending at the end of June.

]]>6/30/2018 2:26:11 PMTheir new home is Egypt’s makeshift, corporate version of the Artic located at the Mall of Egypt. The penguins are the Gentoo and Chinstrap species, two of the largest penguin types worldwide.

Ski Egypt has received 10 Gentoo and Chinstrap penguins of the Gentoo and Chinstrap which are two of the largest penguin species worldwide – Egypt Today/Amr Kandil

The male and female penguins welcomed to Egypt have been trained and prepared to meet visitors and perform before audiences as of July 1.

There are only about half a million Gentoo penguins in the world, with lengths that commonly range between 0.6 to 0.76 meter, making them the third-largest penguins after two giant species.

A long-tailed Gentoo penguin weighs between 5.5 to 6.5 kilograms approximately, with a lifespan that can exceed 20 years.

Meanwhile, the Chinstrap or bearded penguins are the fifth-largest penguin in size out of typically 17 species of penguins. There are about 7.5 million Chinstraps in the world inhabiting parts of the Antarctic Ocean and Southern Pacific.

Ski Egypt has received 10 Gentoo and Chinstrap penguins of the Gentoo and Chinstrap which are two of the largest penguin species worldwide – Egypt Today/Amr Kandil

The Chinstraps ordinarily range between 0.45 to 0.63 meter in length, with an average weight of about 3 kilograms.

Ski Egypt in Giza’s 6th of October city is keen on providing penguins with the suitable environment in terms of temperature and light conditions, within the framework guidelines from San Antonio’s SeaWorld, Texas.

Ski Egypt has received 10 Gentoo and Chinstrap penguins of the Gentoo and Chinstrap which are two of the largest penguin species worldwide – Egypt Today/Amr Kandil]]>6/30/2018 10:23:25 AMThe picture, published in Belgian newspaper HLN, shows 26-year-old Marisa Papen leaning back nude on a lounger, face raised to the sun.

Behind and below her worshippers can be seen at the ancient wall in the Old City, the most sacred site where Jews can pray.

The photo shoot was condemned in a statement by rabbi Shmuel Rabinowitz, as an "embarrassing, serious and saddening incident, which undermines the sanctity of the place and the feelings of those who visit it".

Last year Papen was detained for 24 hours in Egypt after posing naked in front of the Karnak Temple, according to her website, which is a travelogue of her nude poses shot around the world.

The Western Wall is adjacent to the flashpoint Al-Aqsa mosque compound, sacred to both Muslims and Jews.

Jews believe the wall is the last remnant of the biblical Jewish temple.]]>6/29/2018 1:09:30 PMOriginally launched to ensure that make people with businesses connect faster with their consumer-base and other businesses, Google AdWords has had to develop and change to keep up with developments in different fields, as well as the usage habits of people.

“People quickly switch from searching for products, to watching videos, browsing content, playing games and more. As a result, marketers have more opportunities to reach consumers across channels, screens and formats,” writes Sridhar Ramaswamy, Senior Vice President of Ads & Commerce at Google, arguing that despite being complex, this development has the potential to lead to many exciting innovations.

Google ads have evolved from helping marketers connect with people on Google Search, to helping them connect at every step of the consumer journey through text, video, display and more.

To deal with these developments, Google has introduces simpler brands and solutions to match their advertising products, namely Google Ads, Google Marketing Platform, and Google Ad Manager. These brands are designed to ensure that it is easier for marketers to find solutions and marketing opportunities for their business; ones that are cost-effective. These solutions are also designed to create greater collaboration across teams.

Google Ads merges together all of Google’s advertising capabilities across Google.com, partner sites, applications and other properties, with the aim of connecting people to find answers to their questions, do research, browse for content, entertain themselves and much more.

For small businesses specifically, they are introducing a new campaign type in Google Ads that makes it easier than ever to get started with online advertising.

“It brings the machine learning technology of Google Ads to small businesses and helps them get results without any heavy lifting—so they can stay focused on running their businesses,” explains Ramaswamy.

Furthermore, by unifying their DoubleClick advertiser products and the Google Analytics 360 Suite under a single brand: Google Marketing Platform, Google will ensure stronger collaboration for enterprise marketing teams, leading to stronger analytical technology and more real benefits from Ad.

Integration between DoubleClick and Google Analytics 360 will allos marketers to better plan, buy, measure and optimize digital media and customer experiences in one place.

As part of Google Marketing Platform, Google have also announced Display & Video 360, a platform that brings together features from DoubleClick Bid Manager, Campaign Manager, Studio and Audience Center to allow creative, agency, and media teams to collaborate and execute ad campaigns end-to-end in a single place.

“We recognize that the way publishers monetize their content has changed. With people accessing content on multiple screens, and with advertisers’ growing demand for programmatic access, publishers need to be able to manage their businesses more simply and efficiently. That’s why for the last three years, we’ve been working to bring together DoubleClick for Publishers and DoubleClick Ad Exchange in a complete and unified programmatic platform under a new name–Google Ad Manager,” explains Ramaswamy on why they are developing this new platform.

“With this evolution, we’re excited to do even more for our partners—earning them more money, more efficiently, wherever people are watching videos, playing games or engaging with content, and however advertisers are looking to work with them.”

Despite being development-oriented, Google is still committed to its delivering products with the utmost transparency and controls that consumers and customers are able to trust.

“As always, our commitment is to ensure that all of our products and platforms set the industry’s highest standard in giving people transparency and choice in the ads they see. For example, we recently announced new Ads Settings and expanded Why this ad? across all of our services, and almost all websites and apps that partner with us to show ads,” assures Ramaswamy.

Google is expected to share more about these changes on Google Marketing Live on July 10, 9:00 a.m. PT / 12:00 p.m. ET. To watch,

.
]]>6/28/2018 7:21:16 PMPreviously, in a meeting between then Prime Minister Sherif Ismail and Chairman of the Suez Canal Authority (SCA) and the General Authority For Suez Canal Economic Zone (SCZone) Mohab Mamish to review available investments in the economic zone, Ismail pointed out the importance of the zone to the national economy and its role in creating jobs for youths.

In comments during the meeting, Mamish assured that demand from foreign investment is high and that sources of investment are diverse and numerous, suggesting that the zone will be able to positively contribute towards the national economy.

In detail: SCZone

The Suez Canal Economic Zone (SCZone) is a world-class free zone and trade hub along the banks of the newly-expanded Suez Canal, strategically located on the main trade route between Europe and Asia, with more than 8 percent of global trade passing through every year.

According to the SCZone’s official website, the vision of the project is: “To become a leading world class economic hub and a preferred destination for investment,” bringing together businesses from all over the Middle East, Africa and Asia, as well as internationally.

Egypt’s ability to become the new economic and energy hub, something that it currently on track to become, is supported by its access to regional markets and talents, as well as its vast labor pool, which, according to the zone’s official website, is “the largest labor pool in the region. … The workforce includes experienced accountants, lawyers, ICT specialists, engineers, technicians and designers, all available to work for SCZone companies at competitive prices.”

The flotation of the Egyptian pound has also played a positive role in securing relatively cheap labour for companies looking to come into the economic zone; the devaluation of the Egyptian Pound in the face of other currencies has made Egyptian labor and salaries even cheaper on a global scale, making it more competitive and attractive.

The Suez Canal Economic Zone (SCZone) covers 461 kilometers squared. Within the zone, there are: two integrated areas, Ain Sokhna with Ain Sokhna Port and East Port Said with East Port Said Port; two development areas, Qantara West and East Ismailia; and, four ports, West Port Said Port, Adabiya Port, Al Tor Port and Al Arish Port.

“Each integrated and development area provides investment opportunities in industrial and commercial enterprises, infrastructure and real estate development, logistics, amenities and state-of-the-art technology,” reads the zone’s official website.

Russian Industrial Zone (RIZ) in SCZone

During the signing ceremony where Egypt and Russia signed an agreement for a $7 billion RIZ, then-Minister of Trade and Industry Tarek Kabil explained that this 50-year agreement will give Russian companies rights to develop a 5.25 million square meter stretch of land in the Suez Canal Economic Zone into an industrial zone for Russian companies that will be built over three phases, giving them a solid, strategically-located base in Egypt to export to the rest of the Middle East and Africa.

RIZ will be established in the East Port Said region.

Industrial projects and buildings will be built over a space of 2.8 million square meters, while the rest of the land will be used to build residential units as well as commercial and entrainment facilities for the zone’s staff. Stretching over 461 square kilometers, the zone extends through the three Suez Canal governorates of Suez, Port Said and Ismailia, and will include six maritime ports, to be completed by 2045.

Manufacturing air conditioners, motors, construction equipment, glass, ceramics, electronics, medical supplies and plastic are among the industries targeted by the RIZ.

Russian Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Georgy Kalamanov said in July that the RIZ will act as a platform for Russian products to enter the Egyptian and African markets. “I see it as a hub. I believe it is a first stage in shaping basic platforms for spreading Russian goods in African countries, “ Kalamanov had announced.

Building on Kabil’s comments, Denis Manturov, Acting Minister of Trade and Industry of the Russian Federation, stated, “The signing of this agreement comes as a culmination of intensive discussions between the two ministries of industry and trade in the two countries over the past two years.”

RIZ is expected to give Russian companies an edge over other international companies, as it will be easier and less costly for them to export to the Region, meaning that their prices are likely to be more competitive on a global level; they will also take less time to arrive at the intended importing country and will leave less carbon footprints.

Development works of the first phase, involving 1 million square meters, will start this year and will be carried out by a Russian developer who will also work on attracting Russian investors and companies during 2018 and 2019. This phase will create 7,300 jobs in the construction field, decreasing unemployment rates in Egypt.

The second phase will develop 1.6 million square meters and will be finished by 2022, creating 10,000 jobs, while the third phase will develop 2.65 million square meters and generate 17,000 jobs, once again, decreasing unemployment rates in the region.

The three phase is expected to be finished by 2031, when Russian companies will start operations, providing some 35,000 direct and indirect jobs, the statement said.

The Egyptian and Russian sides have agreed to establish a company under the name of Moscow Economic Zone to be responsible for the zone’s operations and construction works. The project, which will be supervised by the two governments, will be funded by the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) and a number of Egyptian banks.

Chairman of the Suez Canal Authority (SCA) Mohab Mamish said in the statement that the RIZ would help cover East Port Said’s needs for industries as well as the needs of the domestic market. He further added that the zone would serve as a gateway for Russian companies to European and African countries.

Mamish added that the land granted for the RIZ is on a usufruct basis and the condition for establishing projects and industrial complexes inside the Suez Canal Economic Zone is that 90 percent of the workforce is Egyptian. This would help the economic zone realize its target of creating 1 million jobs, according to the sustainable development strategy “Egypt Vision 2030,” Mamish said.

In October, Mamish announced that negotiations between Egypt and Russia on the industrial zone have been successful. Trade between Egypt and Russia increased to about $2.5 billion in the first seven months of 2017, from about $2.2 billion in the same period of 2016.

The project is part of ongoing efforts to encourage foreign and domestic investments in the Suez Canal Economic Zone, which is set to include an international logistics hub and areas for light, medium and heavy industry, as well as commercial and residential developments.

In statements to Sputnik news agency Wednesday prior to the signing of the agreements, Kabil said, “Post the signing today they will start developing the contract between a Russian developer who will manage the development of the area and the economic zone of the Suez Canal. So that contract will include the details of the construction and power required, very nitty-gritty details. So probably I would expect in the neighborhood of six months to finish the contract and the approval of the parliament. After that then the developer is free to start preparation.”

Kabil further pointed out that he had the chance of meeting some 60 Russian companies who are interested in investing in the RIZ, including some big companies like Kamaz. “Between the developer and the companies, there are many companies who said yes we are interested. The good thing is that they’ve already studied the Egyptian market, the export opportunities out of that particular area. So it would be premature for companies,” stated Kabil.

The Russian Investment Zone is expected to be the first of many other zones established around the Suez Canal, with negotiations on-going between the Egyptian government and their Chinese and Italian counterparts.

Agility Logistics Company to establish a logistic center in East Port Said Governorate

The Suez Canal Authority signed a Cooperation protocol with Agility Logistics Company to establish a logistic center in East Port Said Governorate, investing up to $100 million.

The protocol was signed by Chairman of the Suez Canal Authority and the Suez Canal Economic Zone, Mohamed Mamesh, and Vice Chairman and CEO of Agility Tarik Sultan.

The protocol stipulates that Agility will establish a logistics hub in the current expansion of East Port Said Port, with industrial and logistic infrastructure promoting the import and storage of raw materials, and the export and distribution of cargos through the Suez Canal axis.

Agility will also work on providing international solutions for Egyptian customs, so as to contribute to the rapid circulation of goods, strengthen supply chains in a fast and secure manner, and to increase the value added.

Mamesh said that the establishment of this project in East Port Said area comes in line with the vision of Egypt 2030, and achieves Egypt's development goals by attaining sustainable and integrated economic growth through increasing the value added, creating new jobs and enhancing the status of the Suez Canal as a commercial and industrial center.

“The protocol aims to study investing in the development and promotion of logistics areas as well as the industrial zone, in addition to establishing an environmental green logistics center for value added services, and applying technological customs solutions to facilitate trade movement,” Mamesh announced.

For his part, Sultan said that Egypt's privileged location facilitates reaching the region's markets and trade routes and qualifies it as a regional distribution hub, adding that his company has invested in the African market due to the increased demand to access this promising market.

Sultan added that the existence of the economic zone of the Suez Canal and the work in the East Port Said area will enable companies to obtain high quality infrastructure and fast, easy and efficient logistic and customs services.

“The protocol aims to study the establishment of a partnership between the Economic Authority and Agility,” Deputy Chairman of the Economic Authority of Suez Canal for the Northern Sector, Abdel Kader Darwish said.

He clarified that the first stage of work between two parties includes the preparation of feasibility studies for the development of a logistics center and the provision of customs technology services for eight months.

The second stage includes the preparation of the detailed plans and the final and master plans of the logistic project, besides providing technical and financial studies of technological services for six months, while the third stage includes the establishment of a joint venture within six months.

On the right track

Egypt’s President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi met May 26, 2018, with Chairman of the Suez Canal Economic Zone (SCZone), Mohab Mamish, in the presence of the acting chief of the General Intelligence Service, Abbas Kamel.

During the meeting, Mamish said that the Suez Canal revenues increased 13.4 percent year-on-year in the first five months of 2018.

The international waterway's May revenues were the highest ever, recording 16 percent, compared with the same period a year earlier, he revealed.

Sisi issued directives to persist with the efforts exerted by the Suez Canal Authority and the General Authority for the Suez Canal Economic Zone (SCZone) with the aim of developing and improving the capabilities of the Suez Canal Authority, presidential spokesperson Bassam Radi said in a statement.

The president also underscored the importance of rallying the state institutions’ efforts in order to help complete ongoing projects in the SCZone and swiftly finalize infrastructure projects in the area.

Meanwhile, Mamish reviewed the latest developments with regard to developing the SCZone, Sokhna and Port Said ports, and building new tunnels under the canal, noting that the world's top-notch companies are keen to invest in the SCZone.

He also pointed out that Egypt and Russia signed on Wednesday an agreement to establish a Russian industrial zone on an area of 5.25 million square meters at the Suez Canal Corridor.

]]>6/27/2018 3:25:56 PMA beggar, also known as a panhandler or a mendicant, often ask for money to buy essentials like food, medicine and clothes, as a favour. They often pray for you or tell you that nice things will happen to you if you give them money, in hopes that hearing this will make you generous and give them money. Street beggers can be found in public spaces; typically, near busy stations, malls and restaurants.

Although some of these people may actually need money, most people begging for money on the street have made a profession out of it.

Professional begging

“Begging has become a career in Egypt, so you are not sure whether a beggar really needs help or not; some beggars became rich through begging, and they prefer to continue begging and create new ways to deceive people,” Azza Koriem, a professor of sociology told Xinhua.

Agreeing with this, Monde Zitho Langa, from News 24, writes, “Some beggars come from comfortable beds, homes with bread and water to bathe, but because of laziness claim a corner of the streets. At that corner they do their pity-me-work, forgetting that real people who aren’t pretending to be homeless actually need that money.”

Today, in Cairo, a begger can make more than a civil servant or even a manager at a governmental institution through collecting LE 100-150, a figure that doubles and triples around religious events and festivals, as the spirit of giving spreads between people.

However, the problem with beggers today is that they affect the people who actually need money as people become more and more reluctant to give money to the poor, as they are scared that they are being robbed or that they are giving money away to someone who does not need it but is doing it as a profession.

“This kind of beggars affect the real poor people as donors do not trust any beggar at all and they don't give any of them money because it is hard to differentiate them,” Koriem told Xinhua.

Getting to know our beggers

Speaking to a child sat on the corner of a street, looking despairingly at passers-by, it became obvious that some of the children who beg where brought up to do so, while others merely have to abide by their parents, guardians or patrons’ decision.

“We come from out of Cairo. We ride a mini bus everyday from out of Cairo, though 6 October city and come to Nasr City,” nine-year-old Zainab told Egypt Today, refusing to say where she originally comes from. “I come with my aunt and mother, as well as my siblings and cousins. We work this street almost every day and each of us is expected to make at least LE 100.”

“Expected” rang loud and clear, a word that speaks volumes and warns of possible consequences.

Zainab and her family work a specific street every day and each of them knows exactly what to do and how to ask for money; it is as if they were trained to do this.

It is their job.

Working on a street can be dangerous, and when money is involved, an order is needed. “I work with a few people. We have teamed up and we work this street,” explains 15-year-old Mohamed, known as Zoka to his ‘collegues’.

When asked if others work this street too, Zoka explained that there is a system, “You are not just allowed to work any old street you want to work.” Aggressively speaking, he explains that there should be some kind of monopoly on the street. He explains that he has to split the money with the other three people he works the street with; anyone who enters the street will have to do the same, or pay them a monthly fee, for them to allow him or her to beg on their territory; almost like cutting up areas when selling drugs, beggers are not carving up territories.

Confirming this, Nashwa, a mother in her late twenties, told Egypt Today, “I have to pay a daily fee for the man responsible for this street. He tells us where to work and ensures that we do not work the same areas. This way, we can all get some money out of it. I know what you think, I should be working, but why should I work when begging makes me more money.”

Begging has become an alternative profession, a way of making money. But this is not to say that everyone who begs is not in need.
]]>6/27/2018 1:20:36 PMWith a comment that is likely to bring unease to the British royal family, Markle appears to rebuke Elizabeth for planning to meet Trump when he visits Britain on July 13.

“If the queen is willing to meet our arrogant and insensitive president, she has no excuse not to meet me - I’m nowhere near as bad,” Markle told the U.S. celebrity website.

Markle missed his daughter’s wedding because he was ill but disclosed in an interview earlier this month that his new son-in-law had told him to give Trump a chance.

Markle said he felt the British royal family had put him in the “penalty box” after that interview. He said he had not spoken to his daughter or anyone else from the palace since the ITV interview.]]>6/27/2018 11:05:39 AMLuxury brands are raising their game in menswear, which is expanding at a faster clip than women’s clothing as styles loosen up and streetwear like hoodies find a new audience.

Big fashion houses including French conglomerates LVMH and Kering are among those hiring eye-catching designers and investing in male attire.

LVMH’s Paris-based Louis Vuitton summed up the zeitgeist at the latest run of men’s fashion shows that closed last week with a collection by its new DJ-turned-designer Virgil Abloh.

“It’s more than a buzz. It’s a deeper trend,” Sidney Toledano, head of LVMH’s fashion group, said on the sidelines of a fashion show.

“There’s strong demand across the men’s fashion industry, in all its shapes and forms, and which comes in part from a younger clientele. We see it very clearly in the sales.”

LVMH brands do not detail earnings, though analysts estimate that menswear at top money-spinner Vuitton is 5 to 7 percent of revenue. Vuitton did not respond to a request for comment.

Meanwhile Kering’s fastest-growing brand Balenciaga, a one-time couture house which scored a hit with a line of chunky sneakers, says men are now among its biggest sales drivers along with millennials, or 20 to 35 year olds.

Womenswear still had the biggest share of the broader $1.7 trillion apparel and footwear market in 2017, with menswear less than a quarter, Euromonitor data shows.

Yet the market research firm forecasts men’s lines will outperform women’s between 2017 and 2022, with sales expanding by a compound annual growth rate of 2 percent.

“This is due to men placing a greater emphasis on their appearance, fueled by the rise of social media, and dress codes for men softening globally,” Marguerite Le Rolland, a consultant in beauty and fashion at Euromonitor, said.

WORK TO WEEKEND

Brands are taking note, expanding their reach with Instagram campaigns and famous faces such as ex soccer star David Beckham who is an ambassador for the British Fashion Council.

The growth of casualwear may entail some setbacks, with tailoring - usually items that are more expensive than sportswear - at risk of taking a hit.

Sales of men’s suits fell by $700 million between 2012 and 2017 in western Europe, Euromonitor data showed, contrasting with growth in premium jeans.

LVMH’s Toledano - who oversees LVMH labels like Celine, which is due to launch a men’s line - said tailored styles were still doing well, however, adding that sales growth was spreading to accessories and shoes.

Upstart labels are also keeping big brands on their toes.

“The men’s business has exploded in the last five years,” said Roopal Patel, fashion director of Saks Fifth Avenue, adding that the U.S. department store was bringing in newer menswear-focused labels like France’s Ami, or Off-White, the streetwear brand founded by Vuitton’s Abloh.

“We’ve gone from just category addressing to really designers looking at how they’re going to wardrobe a man’s lifestyle, everything from work to evening to weekend to sport.”]]>6/26/2018 11:22:13 AMWith the emergence of the idea of creating Facebook closed groups to include men or women only, each of the two sexes started to feel freer to express themselves.

On Facebook groups for MEN ONLY, numerous posts can be published a day for a man whose wedding date is nearing, asking other experienced and inexperienced men for advice. It is widely recognized that most comments on these posts are scary for every unmarried man who may watch perhaps 90 percent of the replies warning him of marriage, with “DON’T EVER” on top of the list.

To be objective, disputes between married couples were always portrayed in Egyptian classic films, mainly in a funny way. However, there is one way to know whether what is happening nowadays between wives and husbands is normal; it is statistics.

Divorce rates in Egypt increased 83 percent from 1996, according to the statistics collected in 2016 by Egypt’s official Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics (CAPMAS).

In a February report, CAPMAS found that divorce rates increased by 6.5 percent in December 2017, compared to December 2016. The number of divorce forms issued in December 2017 was 14,000, compared to 13,000 during the same month of 2016.

Marriage rates witnessed a relative increase as well, but the rate of separations was much more than any other measured by CAPMAS. Marriage rates increased by 4.3 percent in December 2017, compared to the rate measured in December 2016.

Perhaps this explains a widely adopted opinion that appears in the comments on the kind of posts mentioned above, stating that marriage, however, is inevitable; many men advise the youth to enjoy their lives first and then surrender for their final deadly destiny of marriage.

The problem is that Egyptian young men do not have the chance to enjoy their lives before marriage. They have to choose between enjoying their youth and marriage, that is what one of the men on a private group thinks about marriage.

Marriage is not bad, but life is hard. How would you bear the expenses of marriage and life after marriage? Another user said, complaining about the unsatisfying economic situation in the country and the continuous price hike.

One of the most significant traditions in Arab countries, including Egypt, is that many parents can reject a man who wants to marry their daughter, because he is poor, he does not own a luxurious apartment, he does not have a prestigious car, or he cannot offer a comparatively valuable “shabka.” It is jewelry granted by the man before he is affianced to the woman he wishes to marry. “Shabka" is claimed to be a gift. However, men find themselves obligated to buy them for their future fiancées in most cases.

Numerous Egyptian men have been spotted on public and private groups advising other men to marry Syrian women who have resorted to Egypt since the violent incidents in Syria, as they do not ask for “shabka” or other elusive expenses before and after marriage.

Marrying an Egyptian woman ends up in the court, another user said due to the high rate of divorce recently.

You should know that after marriage you become occupied by an inevitable enemy that would subsequently waste your youth. After marriage, you should work on securing your children’s future and make sure they do not repeat your mistake, another person sarcastically said.

Following marriage, you would find yourself saving money just to buy diapers, a user, apparently has children, said.

Recently a user has accessed the group and asked people who have been married about the things they miss the most after marriage? A considerable number of comments just said: “single life” and “divorce”.

Although most of the reasons are obviously related to financial issues, many men think that social problems between couples worsen the situation. Men complain that involving one of the parents in the couple's private problems is very common and disastrous.

Probably one of the weirdest reasons why Egyptian men hate marriage is that they claim that Egyptian women are “cranky”. Most men think that women are not burdened with financial responsibility and therefore they do not have a reason to be bad-tempered.

Not all the comments were pessimistic. Yet, perhaps the majority on social media now thinks that marriage wastes youth, money and is not good for psychological health.

Chatting with a girl on a private group for ladies only, she told Egypt Today that a similar phenomenon is not recognized in their groups. She said that girls frequently ask questions related to marriage. However, they ask for advice concerning body care and other similar issues.

Apparently, with the same token, girls do not find the same problems with marriage, as in the Middle East, women in general are not socially obliged to work in order to get money for the family members.

We cannot ignore that many Egyptian and Arab wives work in order to help their husbands financially. However, most of them think they would not be blamed if they decided to resign or if they lost their jobs. Both men and women in the Middle East know they do not have the same responsibilities.]]>6/25/2018 12:19:30 PMTo a booming techno-pop soundtrack, models clad in pastel blues and pinks, with occasional splashes of acid yellow, sauntered round the larger-than-life sculpture by New-York based artist KAWS, known for his teddy-like toys.

Singers Lenny Kravitz and Lily Allen and actors Robert Pattinson and Gwendoline Christie were among celebrities hogging the front row at the hotly-anticipated show, which comes amid a period of upheaval for menswear fashion.

British designer Jones, formerly of LVMH stablemate Louis Vuitton, took the Dior job in March, in a merry-go-round of designer changes at the French conglomerate.

Top luxury brands are looking to renew their menswear offering and tap into a growing clientele drawn in part by a shift toward street-style, sportier looks.

Jones, known for infusing this urban edge into designs during his Vuitton tenure, including through a hit collaboration with skatewear brand Supreme, took a slightly different turn with his Dior reinvention.

Models wore tailored suits paired with sneakers, in a nod to Jones’ streetwear credentials, but looks also referenced more traditionally feminine styles, with flower motifs appearing on shiny raincoats and an array of delicate, see-through shirts.

The collection broke with a darker, more rock-and-roll style that had endured at Dior’s menswear collections since designer Hedi Slimane was at the helm in the early 2000s and brought in sharp, slim-cut silhouettes.

Jones took his inspiration from the label’s founder Christian Dior, according to show notes, including the designer’s love of nature.

The collection also featured accessories long associated with the womenswear collections at Dior, such as a handbags shaped as saddles, which models wore attached to belts or as saddle-style pockets stitched onto backpacks.]]>6/25/2018 11:53:46 AMThe tradition celebrates the end of the school year with a stunning fireworks display as a ship with scarlet sails makes its way slowly along the English and Admiralty Embankments to the Winter Palace.

Soccer fans who stayed behind after Friday’s clash between Brazil and Costa Rica as well as thousands more making their way into the city for the next game between Argentina and Nigeria swelled the crowds to more epic proportions than usual.

“This is the best atmosphere of celebration, there is both sport and this beauty, so everything is amazing,” Nadezhda from Tyumen told Reuters.

“It is always beautiful, always, but today is just marvelous. The mood is just... people have come for the World Cup with such positive attitudes. We welcome everyone.” said St Petersburg local Yevgeny Konatin.

For Argentina fan Claudio, his sight was a welcome distraction from his team’s struggles at the tournament.

“This is an amazing show, we came here to watch a soccer match and we are here and this is incredible,” he said.

“The night never comes, the light is always there and these fireworks went on for more than half an hour and we were very surprised. It was very beautiful.”]]>6/24/2018 1:26:02 PMAlain Fontaine, owner of Le Mesturet and founder of “Bistrots et Terrasses de Paris”, says an essential part of Parisian life will be lost unless a way can be found to preserve the classic cafe with zinc-topped bar, terrace and good food.

“They’re vibrant places, open to life and the city,” his group says on its website, which has launched a campaign to get recognition from UNESCO, the Paris-based U.N. cultural organization. “They’re threatened and need protection.”

Thirty years ago bistros and street cafes made up half the restaurants in Paris, according to Fontaine, but the figure has fallen to just 14 percent, with fast-food joints, coffee chains and snack bars steadily squeezing them out.

For Fontaine, UNESCO recognition would restore pride to bistro owners and put tradition back on the map.

“Tourists would know where to go in Paris,” he told Reuters.

“If they want to meet Parisians in bistros and on terraces, there would be a label, we will be in the guide, there will be signs in the windows reading ‘this establishment is recognized as a world heritage site by UNESCO’.”

In some popular areas of the city, the absence of sidewalk cafes has begun to stand out.

On the Boulevard Saint-Michel on the Left Bank, near the Pantheon and the Luxembourg Gardens, Burger King and McDonald’s now occupy two corners where cafes once stood, and across the street a bistro recently shut down.

Tourists say they like the idea of a special status.

“There’s only a few cities where there’s really a cafe culture, a bistro culture, and Paris is one of them, and that’s really my favorite part about coming here,” said Holly, an American visitor having lunch with her partner.

“We’d be walking down the street and be like, ‘oh, let’s get a cup of coffee’, and it’s so easy for us to pop in anywhere. You can’t do that in most places.”

But bistros aren’t just for tourists. Many French drop in for a coffee or lunch at their local favorite, glad to get a meal of steak frites or confit de canard at a decent price.

“When you think of Paris, you think of gastronomy,” said local Mathieu Warnier. “Bistros, at least a large part of them... are places where you can get good traditional food without paying extortionate prices.”]]>6/23/2018 10:45:18 AMThe event has taken place for the fourth year in a row under the arrangement of the Chargé d'Affaires at the Indian Emabassy in Egypt, Vinod Bahade, to shed light on the importance of yoga and spread the Indian culture in Egypt.

The event was attended by Chargé d'Affaires at the Embassy of India Bahade, Deputy of Cairo’s governor Mohammed Sultan, and actress Dina Abdallah among other prominent figures.

In his speech delivered in the event, Bahade expressed his thanks to Cairo’s governor for his fruitful cooperation to host the International Day of Yoga in one of the oldest parks in Egypt, referring that 177 co-sponsoring countries at the United Nations General Assembly has supported the event since 2015.
The Indian Embassy in Cairo celebrated the fourth International Day of Yoga on Friday, through a public event taking place at El-Horriya Park, Zamalek-Press Photo

He further remarked that Yoga is one of the oldest human sciences that harmonizes body and mind.

In the same context, General Sultan praised the fruitful and constructive coordination between Cairo’s governor and Indian Embassy in Cairo, and expressed the wishes of Cairo’s governor for the success of the event.
Actress Abdallah expressed her appreciation to the Indian Embassy for honoring her as a Yoga lover, through which she managed to overcome a lot of pressure.

The Indian Embassy in Cairo celebrated the fourth International Day of Yoga on Friday, through a public event taking place at El-Horriya Park, Zamalek-Press Photo

During a press conference held on Tuesday, Bahade said that the Indian embassy also organizes events in Alexandria and Ismailia to celebrate International Yoga Day on June 23 and June 24.

“Yoga, the precious gift of ancient Indian tradition, provides a holistic approach to physical and mental health. Yoga is widely practiced in Egypt,” remarked Bahade.
To commemorate the International Day of Yoga, the World Health Organization announced in 2018-2030 action plan on physical activity that the routine practice of yoga – a 5,000-year-old tradition – is a valuable tool for people of all ages to make physical activity an integral part of life and reach the level needed to promote good health.

Yoga is a spiritual Hindu and ascetic discipline, which includes simple meditation and adoption of specific bodily postures. It is healthy and leads to relaxation.

Practicing yoga is much more than an exercise regime. It not only provides energy and helps build muscles and flexibility, it is also an entry point for a healthy and balanced life, according to the National.

Yoga is for kids and adults alike. Yoga helps people to express themselves in a safe, trusting environment. Yoga can help unite the body and the mind and can make it easier to handle the demands of daily life. Yoga helps the practitioner recover faster from gym workouts and it helps people feel much more relaxed.

Here are 5 benefits of yoga:

It protects your spine.

Yoga helps maintain the natural curvature of the spine through proper body alignment and good posture. It helps reduce lower back pain, as mentioned on peer-reviewed spine-health.com.

Increase blood flow.

The relaxing exercise in yoga helps blood circulation, especially in the hands and feet. It gets more oxygen to the body’s cells.

Makes people feel happy.

The University of Wisconsin found out that yoga is correlated with greater levels of happiness and better immune function.

As stated in the Yoga Journal, yoga helps people to sleep because it makes them less stressed.]]>6/22/2018 6:07:16 PMReleased in the United States in 1948, Mendelssohn’s Concerto in E minor, performed by violinist Nathan Milstein with the New York Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra, was the very first vinyl LP, or long playing record.

The 12 inch 33 1/3 rpm format allowed longer pieces to be recorded, changing the way listeners enjoyed their music.

“The fact that the long playing record came into existence was a huge step for music sound recording and for the listener,” Linehan, curator of popular music in the British Library sound archive, said.

“Previously you could only get 3 minutes or so onto one side of a record and now because you had a narrower groove and a slower speed, you could get up to 20 minutes, which meant you could get a whole classical piece on one side of a record ... you could get a whole package of songs together on one record.”

Thursday marks 70 years since Columbia Records introduced the LP, and British music retailer HMV and label Sony Classical recreated 500 copies of the concerto to give away to fans, with one replica donated to the British Library’s archive.

The record adds to the library’s 250,000 collection of LPs, usually commercial releases in Britain, and artifacts going back to the beginning of sound recording, such as wax cylinders, patented by Thomas Edison in 1877, the first way fans could buy music to listen to at home.

Thursday’s anniversary comes at a time when vinyl has been enjoying a revival. In Britain, while it still only accounting for 7 percent of album sales, it draws fans of all ages.

According to the British Phonographic Industry (BPI), vinyl LP sales rose to 4.1 million last year from 205,292 in 2007.

“Vinyl is popular because people see it more artifact rather than utility,” Gennaro Castaldo, BPI communications director, said. “They love the whole ritual around buying it and then playing it at home and also the sound quality is much warmer, richer and people appreciate that.”

Rock remains the best selling vinyl genre and last year, the biggest seller on the format in Britain was Ed Sheeran’s “Divide” album. Older titles such as Amy Winehouse’s “Back To Black” and Fleetwood Mac’s “Rumours” were also in the top 10.

“Our record stores are stocking more vinyl than we’ve ever stocked in terms of the last 10 years,” Simon Winter, PR and events manager at HMV, said.

At the flagship HMV store on Oxford Street, in central London, music aficionados buying vinyl records said they appreciated its sound quality.

“I grew up with mum and dad listening to a lot of Meat Loaf and a lot of heavy metal and rock and roll ... and a lot of that was done on vinyl,” Steve Pound said. “That recording is just very, very unique.”]]>6/20/2018 4:40:28 PM“Sitting behind the wheel (means) that you are the one controlling the trip,” said the architect, dressed in a black veil, who has just finished learning to drive. “I would like to control every single detail of my trip. I will be the one to decide when to go, what to do, and when I will come back.”

Abdulgader is one of about 200 women at the state oil firm Aramco taking advantage of a company offer to teach female employees and their families at its driving academy in Dhahran to support the social revolution sweeping the kingdom.

"We need the car to do our daily activities. We are working, we are mothers, we have a lot of social networking, we need to go out - so we need transport," she said. "It will change my life." (Click for Wider Image picture essay reut.rs/2thn2qN )

Women make up about five percent of Aramco’s 66,000 staff, meaning that 3,000 more could eventually enroll in the driving school.

Last September, King Salman decreed an end to the world’s only ban on women drivers, maintained for decades by Saudi Arabia’s deeply conservative Muslim establishment.

But it is his son, 32-year-old Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who is the face of the wider social revolution.

Many young Saudis regard his ascent to power as proof that their generation is finally getting a share of control over a country whose patriarchal traditions have for decades made power the province of old men.

For Abdulgader, June 24 will be the day to celebrate that change, and there is only one person she wants to share it with.

“On June 24, I would like to go to my mother’s house and take her for a ride. This is my first plan actually, and I would like really to enjoy it with my mother. Just me and my mother, without anyone else.”]]>6/19/2018 1:37:15 PMSeth Murray, a top corn breeder at Texas A&M University, and Rob Arnold, working on a doctorate at the school while making whiskey for a Fort Worth distiller, are trying to develop commercially viable strains of corn with identifiable flavors, in the same way as specific grapes define the taste of wine from California’s Napa Valley or a Bordeaux produced in southwest France.

If the project proves successful, it might not be until the middle of the next decade that it will produce a commercial whiskey.

So far, Arnold and Murray have produced about 50 test products. In the next several months, they will plant thousands of non-genetically modified seeds on a commercial farm to ramp up production.

“‘Soon’ in the whiskey world is kind of relative. Everything for us is years and years down the road,” Arnold said.

Frank Coleman, a senior vice president at the Distilled Spirits Council, an industry group, is not quite ready to say the project is a game changer.

“But it is indicative of the innovations that are going on throughout the distilled spirits industry,” he said.

At present, most major American distillers make their whiskeys with similar types of yellow corn grown from seeds developed in the Midwest and designed to produce high yields.

“We were missing all the unique flavors that can live in corn varieties,” said Arnold, top distiller at Firestone & Robertson, which bills itself as the biggest whiskey distiller west of the Mississippi. The distiller is financing the project.

In 2017, over 23 million nine-liter cases of American whiskey were sold in the United States, generating over $3.4 billion in revenue for distillers, according to the spirits council.

Bourbon is one of the most popular kinds of American whiskey. Stored in charred oak barrels, bourbon is made from a grain mash that is at least 51 percent corn, though most brands are about 70 to 80 percent.

With similar strains of corn used in most mass-produced bourbons, most brands derive their distinct flavor from yeasts used in fermentation and ageing barrels.

Murray and Arnold are mixing and matching corn varieties from Latin America and heirlooms from North America.

Some small batch producers and even major distillers have already tried making whiskey from heirloom corns, grown from seeds of varieties that appeared generations ago.

But Murray said while heirlooms can produce interesting taste compounds, crop yields can be about an eighth of a modern hybrid, calling into question their commercial potential.]]>6/18/2018 10:35:10 AMWith an over-the-top gilt and baroque decor glittering in the background, the 48-year-old Campbell was a vision from top to bottom from her elegant black hat with a white band to her sparkling silver heels.

The catwalk celebrated love in all shapes and sizes -- heterosexual, couples with children, cougars and sugar daddies -- sending women and men, women and women, men and men, women and toy boys and older men and their trophy conquests down the ramp in eye-popping colours screaming Florida.

The younger models were heartthrobs of the Millennials -- a target group for the house -- including actor Cameron Dallas, Chinese singer and actor Karry Wang and Kailand Wander, the son of US music legend Stevie Wonder.

Apart from Campbell and Bellucci's suits, the other offerings bore the quirky, sassy D&G stamp: suits encrusted with precious stones or layered with dazzling silver and gold embroidery that the maison put down to a "Gothic inspiration."

- Snakes motifs and neon shades -
Versace also opted for full-blast -- but far younger -- star power, leading with current top model Bella Hadid. Both the boys and girls wore outfits bearing the brand's trademark snake motif, as well as head-to-toe fluorescent green and pink combinations.

Trousers were in plaid and shorts were both baggy or tight and some were asymmetrical. There were letter box red cardigans emblazoned with a crown and Donatella Versace said the collection catered to three kinds of men: a "street style" for stars, another for dandies and a third for "leaders."

"The Versace man is not ordinary, he is watched and spoken of," she said.

]]>6/17/2018 12:06:24 PMAfter London Men's Fashion Week wrapped up on Monday, Milan picked up the reins, with 28 ready-to-wear shows to reveal the Spring-Summer 2019 lines.

But the women are muscling in to Milan men's week, with 13 co-ed catwalks and another two women-only shows.

A model presents a creation for fashion house M1992 during the Men's Spring/Summer 2019 fashion shows in Milan, on June 16, 2018. / AFP / MARCO BERTORELLO

"We are living in a huge evolutionary moment regarding the concept of men's and women's fashion," said Carlo Capasa, head of Italy's national chamber of fashion.

"That barrier doesn't exist any more, the fashion week calendar is responding to that reality," he told AFP.

"Out of affection we are keeping the idea of still calling it men's fashion week, but in reality, this barrier has already fallen."

After several difficult years for the Italian fashion industry, Milan has regained it's joie de mode.

The sector saw turnover grow by 3.2 percent last year, to 94 billion euros, according to the Confindustria Moda federation.

The growth rate was double that of Italy's GDP, Carpasa said.

The first show of men's week was by the Ermenegildo Zegna house, whose models paraded along a mirrored bridge and against the backdrop of a wonderful sunset outside the impressive Mondadori publishing house HQ.